More Than He Seems
by Shadows in the Clouds
Summary: Tony Stark came home from Afghanistan a changed man. He couldn't sleep and was plagued with nightmares and doubts. That was until he saw an article in a biomechanical journal one night. Now all he can think of is starting a family and learning to live again. So that's what he began to do until a certain agent burst into his tower with a stack of files. Part 1 of Avenging Family.
1. Under His Skin

Tony Stark was a changed man. Not 100% changed, but still a changed man. Afghanistan had done a number on him. He had nightmares more often than not. Most nights were spent in the lab working on his armour rather than sleeping. The palladium poisoning didn't help matters much either. It was like life just wanted to do him in. As he had told Pepper, he shouldn't be alive. Since coming home from Afghanistan, Tony spent almost every night alone. With the few exceptions of when Pepper or Rhodey came to visit, Tony was alone, and when he was alone his mind tended to wonder. Tony hated when his mind did this, so he got drunk and tinkered on his new inventions for SI. This was not the life he wanted

One night, while it was storming, Tony was curled up on the couch in his lab. His tablet was perched on his lap while he perused some of the new science journals. The soft pitter-patter of rain against the glass was soothing as Tony opened up a page on biomechanics. Now he wasn't a biologist but that didn't mean that Tony didn't find it interesting. He was deeply engrossed in his reading when he saw a little article off to the side. It was about a group of scientists who had made an artificial womb to grow a premature lamb. Tony clicked on the article and began reading. From there the wheels in his head began turning. Tony kept looking at peer review article after peer review article. He thought, "What if I could do this with a human from the get-go?", "What if I could grow a baby without the need for a mother?". Schematics flew through his head at lightning speed as he though up different ways to improve upon the design. And then he stopped thinking.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" muttered Tony, his calloused hands running down his face. "What the actual hell is wrong with me? I can't raise a kid. I can't fucking do that. I'd turn out just like Howard. Fuck this!" And with that Tony tossed his tablet onto the couch and turned to walk up to his bedroom. Maybe this would be the night he actually got some sleep. He had been up for 36-hours straight and was in dire need of rest. The body could only subsist off of coffee and DUM-E's smoothies for so long. And he was right, the second his head hit the pillow he was out. That night Tony dreamed of a little boy with his hair and eyes.

Weeks passed and the idea of a child ad firmly planted itself into Tony's head. At first, it was just a little thought. Than it festered into this all-consuming thing. Now Tony was obsessed and doing more research on the matter and drawing up blueprints. He even missed board meeting which annoyed Pepper to no end. Tony and Pepper were still very good friends. Even though they had kissed on top of that roof, they had admitted to each other that maybe they were better off as friends than as lovers. Tony was hunched over his workbench surrounded by holograms that he had JARVIS project for him. And this was how Pepper found him when she walked into his lab. Tony had missed the last 3 board meetings and she was getting pissed.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" Tony jumped in his seat as he heard Pepper speak. He looked at her before lowering his gaze back to his work.

"Stuff." He muttered, not paying much attention to the new arrival in his workshop.

"Tony, you've missed the last 3 board meetings. I know you don't like them but still, this is a new low even for you. What could you be working on that could possibly be more important than meetings?" She looked like she was about to murder Tony. Tony averted his eyes and continued to manipulate the holograms in front of him.

"It's a uh… personal project."

"A personal project?"

Tony didn't answer. He just kept working. Pepper walked closer so that she could get a look at what Tony was working on. It looked like Greek to her as she inspected the holograms in front of Tony. Pepper was smart but none of what Tony was currently working on looked familiar to her.

"Tony, what is all this. It looks like nothing I've ever seen?"

"It's just stuff. Nothing concerning."

"If it's some fancy new thing for your suits that could end up getting you killed so help me God…"

"No no no, it's nothing like that."

"Than what is it?" Pepper's looked like she could set him aflame just by looking at him.

"It's a… um... a…" Tony was lost for words. How exactly do you explain to your friend that you're creating a device to have a child without using another humans' uterus? Pepper continued her death stare. It took a lot to break a Stark, but Pepper's stare was one of the few things that could.

"Fine." Tony's head hit the table he was working at. "Pepper… I want a kid."

"Excuse me?" Pepper looked like she had been slapped in the face. Had she heard that right?

"Tony, have you even thought this through? What's gotten into you?"

Tony just kept his head down. "JARVIS pull up the file." A rather long word document was pulled on the monitor in front of Pepper. Two very large, bold heading could be read on the page. **Reasons I should have a kid** and **Reasons I should DEFINITELY NOT have a kid.** Under each heading was a rather long list. Pepper took a look at the side listing the cons.

I could turn out to be like Howard

I have alcohol dependency issues

My mental health is shit

My job isn't the most stable

I'm now apparently a superhero

The lab isn't the safest place for a baby

I could turn out like Howard

Pepper looked at the paper. Was this really the truth. Did Tony really want a kid to the point where he took the time to make lists of pros and cons? Pepper eyes the man, his head still on the desk, before looking at the other side of the sheet. Why should Tony Stark become a parent?

I could teach them things

Someone to love me unconditionally

Someone to love unconditionally

Reason to stop drinking

I could become better than Howard

Attending school events could be fun

I will be able to protect them as Iron Man

Imparting my wonderful taste in music would be a wonderful journey

Reason to rest more

Reason to work less and spend more time doing the things I love

The list went on with the pros side longer than the cons. Pepper looked at Tony and put her hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her with his doe eyes.

"You're really serious, aren't you?"

"When am I not?" He looked Pepper dead in the eyes and began explaining what was going on. Everything from when he first read the article to his recurring dreams about being a dad. Pepper just nodded and looked at her friend. Tony Stark really did have a heart. Once Tiny was done explaining Pepper gave him a hug and then gave him the biggest surprise he had ever seen.

"Tony, it takes two to tango. When you're ready and you need the female gametes, just call me."

"Are you serious?" Tony looked on incredulously. Pepper just smiled and gave him a hug. Now Tony wasn't one to cry. He was a Stark and Starks are made of iron, but in this moment, he was pretty sure he shed a single tear of joy.

Weeks passed and the construction of Stark Tower had moved along nicely. Just off of his new personal floor, Tony had contrasted what he now was calling the Womb Room. Pepper was not pleased with the name at all. Tony just brushed her off. It was a black, soundproof, reinforced steel-lined room where his little baby would begin to grow. Everything was set and ready and a week later Tony was able to put his new little growing embryo onto his invention. That was when it really set in. He was going to be a dad. Tony sat down on the floor outside where his new lab was going to be and just stared at the wall. This trend continued for a while, Until the nesting set in. Rhodey walked in on one of his rare times off to find Tony babyproofing the shit out of his personal floor. Luckily for Tony, Rhodey was supportive and more than excited to meet his little niece or nephew.

It was now around the 5th month of gestation and everything was going smoothly. His invention was working wonders. At least one a day Tony could be found in the Womb Room talking to the baby. He had recently found out that he was having a son. That's when it really set in. This was his son! Tony's son. Next thing he knew he was buying baby clothes and toys. He had started painting his son's room. It was a soft red with yellow trim. Perfect for his little Iron Baby.

Time passed and Tony got more excited and worried about when his baby would be born. It was now a little over 7 months along and everything was going just as planned until it wasn't.

* * *

Hey readers; I hope you've enjoyed the first chapter. I know that it's a bit strange but it's more to get the plot rolling than anything. I would love to hear your thoughts on it. Chapter 2 is where things get interesting and the wonderful prospect of STONY is introduced. Until next time -Shadows


	2. The Cradle To Grave Protocol

Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers and the movie dialogue was used to get things set up. Also, I'm sorry for such a dialogue-heavy chapter. I hope you've all seen the first Avengers movie, because that's the plot of this chapter, with a few changes. Also, I make reference to Tony's age in this chapter. Unfortunately, cannon sucks on giving me a conclusive, specific date, so I'm mixing them to get the story I want. In IM1 it was said that his parents died when he was 17 so I'm sticking with that making his birth year 1974. Also on the Wiki, it says his birthday is May 29, so I'm going with that.

* * *

"You're good to go on this end. The rest is up to you" Tony continued to pilot his suit through the streets of New York on his way up to the tower.

"Are we off the grid?"

"Stark Tower is about to become a beacon of self-sustaining clean energy"

"Assuming the reactor takes over and it actually works"

"I assume. Light her up" Pepper pushed a button on her tablet and the entire building began to light up the skyline.

"How does it look?"

"Like Christmas, but with more… me" Tony flew up to the penthouse of the tower. A giant smile plastered on his face as he looked at what he had helped to create. He landed and the spinning gauntlet began to remove the Iron Man suit from his body.

"Sir, Agent Coulson is on the line." Spoke JARVIS

"I'm not in. I'm actually out."

"I'm afraid he's insisting sir."

"Close the line JARVIS." Tony walked inside of the penthouse to find Pepper standing in front of a wall of monitors.

"Levels are holding steady… I think."

"Of course, they are. So, Pepper, how does it feel to be a genius?"

"I really wouldn't know, would I?"

"Come on Pep. Stark Tower is your baby. Give yourself some credit. Like 12%."

"12%! For my baby!"

"Well, I did all the heavy lifting. I lifted the heavy things. I'm going to pay for that comment about 12% in some-way, later aren't I?" Tony and Pepper continued to bicker playfully until they were once again interrupted by JARVIS.

"Sir, the telephone. I'm afraid my protocols are being overwritten."

"Stark we need to talk." Tony pulled out his phone and gave his best-deadpanned expression as he talked to the screen.

"You have reached the life model decoy of Tony Stark, please leave a message."

"This is urgent Stark."

"Then leave it urgently." And with that the elevator doors opened to the penthouse, revealing a slightly disgruntled Phil Coulson.

"Mr. Stark"

"Phil, come on in!" smiles Pepper. Tony just looked annoyed

"Phil! His first name is Agent!"

"Stark, we have an emergency." Coulson proceeded to hand Tony a black file folder containing a portable computer full of information.

"I don't like being handed things." Said Tony. He had a very good reason for this but he wasn't about to reveal that anytime soon. So, Coulson handed the file to Pepper who handed it back to Tony. He had all but tuned out the conversation going on between Agent and Pepper, only interjecting where he saw fit. He attached the files to his own projectors and everything on them was pulled up onto the screens. Off on one of the sidebars was a document labelled personal files. He saw quite a few, he recognized the one for Natasha Romanov as well as his own. He greatly disagreed with Romanov's final ruling on him. Yes, his behaviour had been erratic but, to be fair, he was dying at the time. There were other files but one, in particular, caught his eye. One labelled Steven Grant Rogers (Captain America). Holy shit, they found him! And he was alive! His father must be rolling in his grave. He was so engrossed in the file that he didn't even hear Pepper walk over.

"Looks like you've got some reading to do. I'll take the plane out with Phil. Don't overdo it."

"No promises." And with that Pepper and Phil left leaving Tony to try and figure out all the information that was left for him to go over. Tony kept glaring at the screens. This looked bad. This looked really bad. He had heard about what happened in New Mexico. If Loki was involved, so many things could go wrong. Tony didn't want to think about it. He didn't just have himself to think of any more. There was his son, still growing and needing his father. The sooner he stopped this threat the better. Tony worked late into the night reading and drawing up plans. Eventually, he tapped into SHEILD's coms and found out that they were going to confront Loki in Germany. Tony paid one last quick visit to the Womb Room to say goodbye before donning the Iron Man armour and flying off to Germany to confront this threat to his baby.

"Agent Romanov, you miss me?" Tony hacked into the speaker system and began to blast some good old AC/DC to the good people of Germany. He landed with all his weapons trained on the God.

"Make your move Reindeer Games." Loki lowered his hands as Tony put most of his weapons away. He kept his eyes on the God, barely acknowledging Captain America's presence. He just gave him a flippant "Captain" as a response as Agent Romanov helped load Loki onto the jet.

"I don't like it." Tony looked over at the source of the noise. Captain Rogers was looking straight ahead his eyes focused on the prisoner in front of them.

"What? Rock of Ages giving up so easily?"

"I don't remember it ever being that easy. This guy packs a wallop." Tony just looked at him with skepticism.

"Still… you're pretty spry for an older fellow. What's your thing? Pilates?"

"What?"

"It's like callisthenics. You might have missed a couple things, you know, doing time as a Capsicle."

"Fury didn't tell me he was calling you in."

"Fury doesn't tell you a lot of things," Tony remembered looking at Steve's file. It almost seemed like SHEILD was purposefully not telling the man things. Almost like they wanted to keep the man stuck in the past.

Soon after there was a great burst of lightning followed by the loudest crack of thunder you can imagine. It was deafening. A man Tony recognized as Thor from the readings sauntered into the jet, grabbed Loki by the throat and flew off. Tony was right behind them. If they lost Loki they lost the Tesseract and that was just not a plan.

Tony fought Thor for a solid five minutes. He kept pulling out his best quips. Why not make fighting fun, right? Eventually, Captain America came down to prevent more plant casualties. Once they all arrived on the helicarrier, Tony left to take off his armour while the others went to the bridge of the airship. On his way back, Tony ran into Agent Coulson.

"Stark! How's your little personal project going?" Coulson was one of the few people who knew about his growing little baby. Tony smiled back.

"T- two months left. Give or take a few weeks"

"That's got to be exciting." The two smiled and talked as they walked onto the bridge interrupting the conversation what was already going on between the people present. He kept talking, keeping the focus on what he was saying rather than on what he was doing. He used this to his advantage as he bugged the equipment on the ship so that JARVIS could start hacking into the whole of SHEILD's database. Eventually, he was able to introduce himself to Dr. Bruce Banner and the two hit it off instantly as they began to make their way to the lab.

The scientist shared information as they set up the lab. There was already an air of mutual respect in the room as the two joked and worked as a team. "Not a team player my ass," thought Tony. As long as he was working with someone who wasn't as dense as a brick he worked great with people. Unfortunately, most of the people he was forced to work with had a very single-track mind and were in no mood to learn anything new or useful. They worked and talked for a while until Rogers talked in and disturbed the peace in the room. Evidently, Rogers couldn't take the jokes Tony kept doling out nor could he understand what he was up to at the moment. In all fairness, Steve hadn't really been introduced to the wonders of modern technology yet. Once Steve was leaving Tony couldn't quite help taking a very sneaky glance at the others backside before returning to the task at hand.

"That's the guy my dad never shut up about?"

Eventually, the conversation turned to the arc reactor in his chest. Not the most pleasant of conversations. Tony was self-conscious of the reactor. Sure, the piece of tech was astounding, but the horrible scar tissue surrounding it was another story. It was ugly and just another reminder of off all the shit he'd been through.

They worked with minimal banter for another hour. The computers scanned for gamma radiation with all their might and eventually, they were able to get a slow lock on to a signal. Another 10 and they would be able to find Loki's minions and his stupid Tesseract. So, while that was running, Tony decided to do some digging into what SHEILD was planning to do with this glowing cube of evil.

"What are you doing Mr. Stark?" Fury's voice shook him from his reading.

"I believe there's supposed to be a Doctor in there somewhere." Tony quipped at Fury

"Excuse me?" If Fury could have looked any more annoyed he would.

"I didn't get three Ph.D.'s for nothing. It's always been Dr. Stark while I'm doing this whole science thing."

"Who cares, you're supposed to be locating the Tesseract."

"We are. The model's locked and we're sweeping for the signature now. When we get a hit, we'll have the location within half a mile." Added Bruce

"You'll get your cube back." Suddenly a new group of files appeared on the screen. Tony leaned in to get a closer look. "Wow vision problems at 37, you're getting old Stark," thought Tony.

"Hey, so what's Phase 2?"

"Phase 2 is SHIELD uses the cube to make weapons" Steve walked in and threw a black weapons casing onto the table in front of the other three men. "Sorry, the computer was moving a little slow for my liking" Tony just nodded at that statement.

And so the bickering began. When Thor and Romanov entered the room it just escalated. Everyone's voices rising in a crescendo of anger.

"And why shouldn't the guy let off a little steam?"

"You know damn well why! Back off!"

"Oh, I'm starting to want you to make me."

"Big man in a suit of armour. Take that off, what are you?"

"Genius, Billionaire, Philanthropist."

"Isn't there supposed to be a playboy in there Stark." Added Natasha

"You know as well as I have Romanov, that I haven't gotten any since coming back from Afghanistan. Besides, I have more important things to worry about now." Tony did not look pleased at all. There was a certain fire in his eyes, daring the others to fight him on this.

"I know guys with none of that worth ten of you. Yeah, I've seen the footage. The only thing you really fight for is yourself. You're not the guy to make the sacrifice play, to lay down on a wire and let the other guy crawl over you." Tony looked like he was about to kill the captain. Low blow Rogers, low blow.

"I think I would just cut the wire." He seethed

"Always a way out... You know, you may not be a threat, but you better stop pretending to be a hero."

"That's just low Rogers. I've got someone back home waiting for me, so excuse me if I want to find a way for everyone to make it out alive. Besides, everything special about you came out of a bottle." Tony was seriously angry at this point. He's been on death's door too many times for this to be fun anymore.

"Put on the suit, why don't we go a few rounds?" The fighting continued with voices becoming raised, Tony and Steve glared daggers at each other. It ended with Banner picking up the sceptre and the situation deescalating. Suddenly there was a ping from one of the far monitors. They had located a trace of the cube.

"I can get there faster." Tony began to make his way out the door. He was halfway there when Steve grabbed his arm.

"You're not going alone." Tony yanked his arm free. He didn't know this man well enough to trust him to have his back. Trust had to be earned, and Steven Rogers hadn't earned it yet.

"You gonna stop me?"

"Put on the suit and let's find out."

"I'm not afraid to hit an old man."

"PUT ON THE SUIT!"

Suddenly the room they were in shook and exploded. There was a thick wall of flames and smoke threatened to overtake the room. Tony couldn't really see the others except for Steve. Both looked thoroughly shocked.

"Put on the suit?" Steve breathed

"Yup!" Steve helped Tony up and the two ran as fast as they could. Tony to his suit, and Steve to the site of the explosion.

"Cap, I need the lever!" Tony could feel his grip slipping. If he fell now, this would be the end. Tony couldn't bear to think like that. He had to fix this problem, stop Loki, and return home to his unborn son. Nope, not dying today.

"I need a minute here!" Steve's reply came over the coms and Tony's heart quickened. This was not ok at all.

"Lever! Now!" was all he got out before his grip slipped completely and he began to get chewed up by the rotors. He could feel the blades hitting his suit, bits of metal and wire began to dig into his skin. If he made it out alive, this was going to hurt like hell for the next week. Tony was ready to weep tears of joy when he felt the blades of the rotor still and he fell out of the engine. Tony was breathing hard when he landed and lifted his faceplate. Steve was the same. A smile was barely able to ghost their faces before the news came over the coms. Agent Phil Coulson was dead.

Tony really didn't know how to process this news as Steve and himself sat at the table being yelled at by Fury. Just earlier today he and Phil had been talking about their lives. About Phil's cellist and Tony's baby. Phil was so excited to meet him. And now he would never get to. All this was too much and Tony abruptly got up from the table and made his way down to the chamber where they had been holding Loki. The chamber where he had killed his Agent friend.

He stood there, his hands on the rails surrounding what used to be a containment chamber, trying to get his thoughts under control. They'd lost Loki, lost the cube, they had no clue where Banner and Thor were. This was a disaster. Tony could feel his anxiety flaring up. He had this feeling of horrible foreboding like he was going to die today. He reached back into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. Inside was a black and white photograph. A sonogram of his baby. Tony held the picture in his hand. What if he didn't make it through the day. What if he never got to meet his little baby boy. No! He couldn't think like this. But still, it was enough to bring a slight tear to his eye. Tony was so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't heard Steve approach his side.

"What's that?" Tony turned around, surprised, almost dropping his photo in the process.

"Nothing that concerns you, Rogers."

"Seeing as how we have to work together, we should share things."

"Again, why should I? It's a personal matter."

"We all took a pretty big hit today. Were you close with Agent Coulson?"

"Sort of. We've known each other for a while."

"I'm sorry, he seemed like a good man."

"He was an idiot."

"Why? For believing?"

"For taking on Loki alone."

"He was doing his job!"

"He was out of his league. He should have waited. He should have…"

"Sometimes there isn't a way out, Tony"

"Right, how did that work for him?" Tony was starting to get agitated

"Is this the first time you've lost a soldier?"

"WE ARE NOT SOLDIERS!... I'm not marching to Fury's fife!" Tony was truly fuming now. He knew real soldiers. Hell, his best friend was one. Could this day get any worse?

"Neither am I! He's got the same blood on his hands as Loki does. Right now, we've got to put that aside and get this done. Now Loki needs a power source if we can put together a list..."

"He made it personal!" exclaimed Tony

"That's not the point."

"That is the point. That's Loki's point. He hit us all right where we live. Why?"

"To tear us apart?"

"He had to conquer his greed, but he knows he has to take us out to win, right? That's what he wants. He wants to beat us and he wants to be seen doing it. He wants an audience."

"Right, I caught his act at Stuttengard."

"Yeah. That's just a preview, this is opening night. Loki's a full-tilt diva. He wants flowers, he wants parades, he wants a monument built in the skies with his name plastered..." A look of fear passed across his face. No! No. NO! This could not be happening! Tony began to feel the panic rise in his chest. If Loki found his son…

"Tony! Tony! Tony focus. What's wrong?"

"Sonofabitch! No! No! No! I can't. No!"

"Tony, tell me what's wrong!" Steve had a strong hold on the smaller man's arms. It was almost enough to ground him. Almost. "Tony, what is wrong?"

Tony took in a very shaky breath. "I have someone very important to me back at the tower. If Loki finds him he'll probably kill him."

"Can't you just tell him to get out of the tower?"

"It's not that simple." Tony broke out of Steve's hold and began to make his way to his suit. He needed to fix it and fast. Steve wasn't far behind as he began to talk with Natasha and a no longer brain-washed Clint. Once done, they all received coms that would allow them to communicate with each other, and Tony high-tailed it out of there. He had to protect his son.

"Please tell me you're going to appeal to my Humanity?" Loki deadpanned. Tony was not in the mood to deal with this. The sooner he took out Loki, the sooner he could make sure his son was alright.

"Um… actually, I'm planning to threaten you."

"You should have left your armour on for that."

"Yeah, it's seen a bit of mileage. You've got the blue stick of destiny. Would you like a drink?" Tony walked to the bar and began pour himself a glass of scotch. This was going to be his last drink ever. Might as well make it a good one. While back behind the bar where Loki could not see is hands, Tony put on two homing bracelets that out allow his new suit to lock onto his location.

"Stalling me won't change anything."

"No, no, no! Threatening. You sure you don't want a drink? I'm having one."

"The Chitauri are coming, nothing will change that. What do I have to fear?"

"The Avengers. It's what we call ourselves, sort of like a team. "EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROE" type of thing."

"Yes, I've met them."

"Ya, it takes us a while to get any traction, I'll give you that. But, let's do a head count here. Your

brother, the demi-God; a super soldier, a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend; a man with breath-taking anger management issues; a couple of master assassins, and you, big fella, you've managed to piss off every single one of them."

"That was the plan." Loki gave a mischievous smile. Well, he was the God of Mischief, after all, nobody could argue that fact.

"Not a great plan. When they come, and they will, they'll come for you."

"I have an army!"

"We have a HULK!"

"I thought the beast had wandered off?"

"You're missing the point. There's no throne, there is no version of this, where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you. Because if we can't protect the Earth, you can be damned well sure we'll avenge it."

"How will your friends have time for me, when they're so busy fighting you?" Loki raised his sceptre to Tony's chest. No this was bad! Tony really didn't need someone messing with his mind. Enough people had done that in the past. But, when Loki touched the end of his sceptre to his Arc Reactor… nothing happened. Tony let out a small breath of relief

"This should work!?"

"Well, performance issues. You know? One in five…" Loki picked him up by the throat. Tony yelled at JARVIS to send his suit as he was tossed out the window. He was falling. He could see the ground coming closer and closer to his face and was beyond relief when his suit formed around his body. Tony flew back up to the top of the tower and looked Loki dead in the face.

"And there's one other person you pissed off! His name was Phil!"

From there the battle started in earnest. The Chitauri flew through the portal and the Avengers began to fight for their lives. Tony did his best to lead the Chitauri away from the tower. He could not let harm come to the tower. He had to protect his son. It was rough. Tony flew like a maniac trying to keep the invaders contained. He could hear panic over the coms. He could feel the dents in his armour digging into his skin. This was rough. At least when Cap told him over the coms that Banner had arrived he knew that they could turn the tide.

"Stark! We got him!"

"Banner!"

"Just like you said."

"Tell him to suit up. I'm bringing the party to you." He flew around the corner bringing the Leviathan with him. When the Hulk stopped it from crashing into the Avengers, Tony watched in awe. He would have to tell this story to his son was older. They all stood there looking at what was going on around them. If it weren't for the craziness of the situation it would look epic. All the Avengers assembled in a fight. Tony standing beside Steve. His brain working a mile a minute. It was a long shot, but he was about to put all his trust in the man.

"Call it Cap." Cap was quick to delegate duties. Tony once again took to the skies after dropping Barton off on the roof. It was a hard fight. He could feel the fear in the air and it was only getting worse. Tony was tossed around by the alien soldiers. Not cool man. He was just getting up when he heard Fury's voice over the coms.

"Stark, you hearing me? We have a missile heading straight for the city!"

"How long?" he panicked

"About three minutes."

"On it." Tony shook off the Chitauri hanging onto his leg as he flew off towards the missile that could destroy the city and everyone in it. He was so hyped up on adrenaline that the gravity of the situation hadn't hit him. Tony was going to throw the missile into the portal, kill two birds with one stone.

"I can close it! Can anybody hear me? I can close the portal down!"

"Do it!"

"No, wait!"

"Stark, these things are still coming!"

"I've got a nuke coming in that'll blow in less than a minute. And I know just where to put it."

"That's a one-way trip!"

"I know… Rogers…please take care of him." Tony cut the line after that. He couldn't bear to hear what was going on. "JARVIS, activate the "Cradle to Grave" protocol. When he gets into the tower, tell Captain Steven Rogers what's going on. I think I can trust him with this."

"Sir, would you like to make a recording so that young Mr. Stark has something to remember about you?"

"Sure J. Start now." Tony took a deep breath. "Hey baby boy, It's your daddy. I want you to know that even though you aren't born yet I love you so much. So," He choked on his words as tears ran down his cheeks, "so much. I want you to know that I never planned for this to happen. I wanted so badly to be there for you. I hope you're being a good boy for Steve, and your Aunt Pepper, and Uncle Rhodey. Remember that I will always be proud of you. Remember that you are so loved, whatever you do, I will Always love you. Always." JARVIS ended the recording right as he flew into the portal. Tony used the last of the power in his suit to thrust the nuke towards the Chitauri mothership. The abyss of space with the Chitauri armada was by far the scariest thing Tony had ever seen. This and the feeling of absolute helplessness was just all too much. His chest constricted and his panic bubbled in his chest. The suit's power was quickly drained, his display went dark and Tony watched the nuke travel towards the ship. He closed his eyes, not wanting to watch himself meet his end. "At least I'll have died saving the world. Might as well go out with a bang." Thought Tony, tears still in his eyes. He didn't see the blast, but he felt it. Everything hit his arc reactor. The pain was unbearable as he felt it crack and go out. Then the world went back.

A very loud, jarring noise caused Tony to open his eyes. Taking a deep breath Tony looked around. The first thing he saw was the relieved face of one Steven Rogers. Blue eyes met brown as Tony's head hit the pavement. He made it out alive.

"I'm alive. Holy crap I'm alive!" Tears fell from his eyes as the reality hit him. He would get the chance to see his son grow up! Tony let out a laugh. For once something good was happening to him.

"We won!" Steve smiled back at the man, slowly helping him up to his feet. Tony groaned as he tried to stand. His chest felt like it was on fire. He couldn't see the arc reactor from this angle and would have to wait till they were back in the tower. This stupid reactor was way too much of a problem. The heroes made their way up to the penthouse. Tony was mostly walking on his own, he let his dying suit do the rest of the work. They found Loki bashed into the floor. Thor and The Hulk walked over to restrain him and escort him to the waiting SHEILD ship. Looks like they won. Tony smiled until the pain in his chest became too much. Yup, the reactor was totally broken. Tony felt his knees buckle and he began to fall. Well, he would have if Steve hadn't caught him.

"Tony, what's wrong? What's going on!?"

"Reactor. Broken. Need a new one." Tony was having a hard time catching his breath.

"Tony what do I do?" panicked Steve

"Workshop. JARVIS will show you." Steve all but picked up Tony and followed JARVIS's instructions on how to get there. When they arrived, JARVIS had made sure to have a new reactor out and ready. Steve helped rip off the ruined Iron Man suit while Tony discarded his shirt. No time to be embarrassed about his body. He was in too much pain to care. Steve helped him over to a recliner chair while Tony hastily attached the different heart monitor wires to his chest. Once that was done he turned his head to look at the equally panicked Steve.

"On that table there, is the new reactor. Once I take this out you need to attach the new one to the exposed wire. It just clicks in. Then push down until it clicks into my chest ok?" Tony could barely contain his grunts of pain as he explained everything that needed to be done. Steve just nodded and ran over to the table to get the new reactor that JARVIS had put out. Tony yanked the old reactor from his chest. His grip went slack as his hands fell and the damaged reactor fell to the floor. Steve worked fast and did exactly as he was told. When the new reactor clicked into place Tony bolted upright. The pain in his chest lessened and the heart monitors stopped their incessant beeping. Tony took a deep breath and let out a sigh of relief. He was alive. He could see his son. Nothing else really mattered at this point. Steve looked equally as relieved.

"I was wrong about you." Tony looked over at Steve. What had he just said? "I was wrong. You almost died to protect us. You're not the same man from the file they gave me."

"I guess I was wrong about you too." Said, Tony, as he put his shirt back on. "I put my trust in you and you didn't miss place it."

"I think a reintroduction is in order." Steve held out his hand. "Captain Steven Rogers."

Tony took his hand, "Doctor Anthony Stark Ph.D."

"Mind if I ask you something?"

"Um… sure, ask away."

"When you were taking the nuke through the portal, you told me to "take care of him". May I ask who he is?" Tony looked a little incredulous. He wasn't expecting this. Sure, he had told Steve to take care of his kid when he thought he was going to die, but he thought that the other man would just drop it now that he was alive. Well, Tony was a Stark after all, and Starks' take risks. Might as well go all the way with this.

"In two-ish months I'm going to be a dad Rogers. I needed someone to look after my son if I didn't make it out. Pepper can't do it, she has a company to run, and Rhodey's in the military. You proved today that I could at least trust you not to completely mess things up."

Steve's eyes widened, "Couldn't his mother just look after him?"

"He doesn't have one. Not in the traditional sense. Um, technically Pepper is his mother, but she's elected to be more of an aunt. She's not even the one giving birth to him." Tony went on to explain everything. Really, he was just babbling, Steve didn't understand half of the science that was being explained to him. He could tell that Tony was nervous revealing this information. This wasn't in his file so the fact that Tony was about to have a child must be a secret. This was some serious information to take in. Steve had really badly misjudged Tony. He wasn't this self-centred, egotistical, jackass. He was just a man who was willing to sacrifice his life to protect his kid.

"What's his name?"

"I'm sorry?" Tony looked baffled.

"The baby's name, have you picked one out yet?"

"I've uh, got a middle name. I'm still stuck between three for a first name."

"What were you thinking?"

"I'm stuck between Mason, Andrew, and Carter."

The two smiled and talked back and forth as friends would. Tony took a quick detour to the Womb Room to make sure things were alright. Luckily for him, they were. His baby was perfectly fine. They made their way to the SHIELD aircraft that was waiting to pick them up to be debriefed back at base. They won, they were alive, they saved the city with minimal casualties. Maybe this whole Avengers thing could work. A week later Tony gave all of his new teammates brand new phones with a special Avengers only group chat. "So we can keep in touch if the world decides to end again." As the Avengers went their separate ways, Tony drew up plans for some serious life changes. And so, by the end of May, just after Tony's 38th birthday, Stark Tower became Avengers Tower with the top 8 floors to be turned into new personal floors for the team. So yes, Tony Stark did have a heart. It was just masked in years of trauma and learned public behaviour thanks to his upbringing. But hey, nobody's perfect.


	3. Hi baby, I'm your dad!

June passed without much incident. Tony finished renovating the new floors for the Avengers. Their new personal bedrooms were pretty barren, but that would allow his teammates to decorate them how they pleased. In addition to new bedrooms and labs, Tony turned one of the floors into a large library and gym, separated by thick, sound-proof walls. And on one of the top floors was their new communal kitchen and living room. Now all the tower needed was the Avengers. Tony wanted to give them a few more months to figure things out, that and his baby was going to be born any week now. He didn't need a bunch of superheroes running around for the first little bit of his life.

Tony spent most nights in and out of nightmares. Launching himself into space and almost dying was the scariest thing in the world. Not long after the Battle of New York, Pepper forced Tony to see a therapist about everything, something he had been refusing to do since Afghanistan. After a few mandatory sessions, Tony walked out being diagnosed with Anxiety and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Not a great combination, but at least now Tony could begin to work through stuff. But even with this he still didn't get a lot of sleep, except for the rare night when his mind just blanked out and he could sleep like he could back when he was a little kid.

It was a hot night when one such sleep was occurring. Tony was out like a light. Nothing much would disturb him, except maybe for JARVIS.

"Sir, Sir, it is imperative you wake up!" Tony rolled over in his bead with a groan.

"JARVIS, the world better be ending for you to wake me up. What time is it anyway?" said Tony groggily

"Sir, it is July 1st and it is currently 3:38 am. Sir, there appears to be a problem with your infant son. I believe that he is ready to be born but I am not sure."

"What?!" that got Tony awake. Tony hastily pulled on some shoes as he ran to the Womb Room. Sure enough, there were fluids everywhere and a plethora of different machines beeping with varying degrees of intensity. Yup, the baby was going to be born right now! Tony began to panic. It was a few weeks early. What if something went wrong? What if he hurt the kid while trying to help him be born? What if this was the biggest mistake of his life and he turned out just like Howard. Well, guess it was time to work on autopilot. So, Tony did, and at 4:17 am on July 1st, 2012, Tony welcomed a wet, screaming, bundle of joy into the world.

"Hey there little one," Tony said tearfully, a wide smile on his face as he held his son for the first time, "I'm your dad." Tony sat down in the rocking chair he had placed in the room, holding the baby close to his chest. They were skin to skin to help with bonding and regulating his baby's heartbeat. He was too afraid to put his son down because if he did, he might just wake up from this dream. It took JARVIS to remind him that this was indeed real. Tony Stark was now a father. Tony looked down at his son's face. He was just like a little copy of Tony. Big doe-eyes, pouty little lips. He already had just a little bit of chocolate brown hair growing. Tony drank in the sight of his son. He was perfect. By far his best creation yet.

"I'm so happy you're finally here. I almost didn't get the chance to meet you, but I'm so glad I'm here now." Tony smiled down at the infant, "You've got your whole life ahead of you. You can do anything you want if you put your mind to it. You are a Stark, and Stark men are made of iron. So, for you, little one, that means that no matter what you won't let the evils of the world break you down. Not if I can help it. I will always be here for you my son. Not like my father." Tony continued to sit there, rocking the infant in his arms. If he thought that outing himself as Iron Man was life-changing, the Tony Stark was very wrong. This, this was life-changing. No longer was it just him against the world. He was now a father, this little life that had just fallen asleep in his arms was now his number one priority. After an hour of just sitting there, Tony decided that it was time to call Pepper. He had promised that she would be the first to know. Tony had JARVIS bring up a screen so that he could talk to Pepper face to face and then he initiated the call. She picked up after three rings.

"Tony, it like 5 in the morning. You'd better have a good reason for waking me up."

"Pepper, I'm a dad now."

"Wait… what was that?" Pepper took a closer look at her screen and saw a little bundle of blankets in Tony's arms. "Is that…?"

"Pepper, I would like to introduce you to Carter Anthony Stark."

"Oh Tony, he's perfect."

"He is. He's got your nose."

"So, you settled on Carter then."

"Ya, I uh… I wanted to honour Aunt Peggy. Give him a strong name, but also a kind name."

"Tony, it's perfect. Can I come down this evening and meet him?"

"Of course, you can. I'll see you soon."

"See you soon. And Tony, congratulations."

"Thanks, Pep. Really, thank you so much."

"I'll see you later Tony." And with that Pepper ended the call. Tony continued to dote over Carter. His first feeding went about as well as you would expect, but that didn't faze Tony one bit. Around 9 am, Tony had JARVIS take the most adorable picture of Carter to send out to his friends. He sent one message to Rhodey and another to the new Avengers group chat. He wasn't sure if Thor was on Earth at the moment, but he would get it when he next got back. The message read;

"Hello people who tolerate me for some reason. This morning, at 4:17 am, I became a DAD! Ya that's right I'm a dad now. I would like to introduce you to Carter Anthony Stark! He is the most perfect baby in the universe and if any of you argue that point I'll find a way to kick you off the team. BTW, you all have rooms here at the tower should you want them in a months' time."

Tony sent off the text and took Carter up to his room. Carter was too young to sleep on his own, so Tony had a bassinet and baby supplies ready to go in his room. Tony sat down in the rocking chair and continued to hold his son. Now that he was here, Tony never wanted to put him down. So, Tony sat there, rocking his son and just talking to him. Until the phone calls started.

*Rhodey*

"Hey, Rhodey."

"DUDE! I can't believe it. I…"

"Darling, please lower your voice, you're on speaker and Carter is sleeping."

"Sorry man," Rhodey whispered, "I just can't believe you're a dad now. I can't believe that skinny kid who I used to share a dorm room with is now a dad."

"Hey! I wasn't that skinny!" said Tony indignantly

"Tones, you were 5f 2in and weighed a pound soaking wet."

"I resent that! So, what's with the call, I thought you were deployed at the moment?"

"I am… but seeing as how I just became an uncle, I managed to get a little time off." Tony smiled at this.

"Mama Rhodes is going to freak out when she hears this." Tony was referring to Rhodey's mother. The woman loved him like a son. When Tony's parents died, she was there when she could be. Mama Rhodes tried so hard to protect him from Stane's manipulativeness. Tony was too young and too grief-stricken about his mother to realize what Obadiah was doing. Looking back on it now, Tony realized that most of his behaviour in the 90's and early 2000's could be attributed to Howard's abuse, a terrifying incident when he was 15, and Stane's manipulation. It wasn't an excuse for his behaviour, but it explained a lot. But through it, all was Mama Rhodes. She was single-handedly responsible for making sure that Tony and Rhodey didn't starve while they were at MIT. She taught them how to cook and cook well. Not just cheap ramen and eggs, REAL FOOD! She was a saint if anything.

"Next time you're home we should visit her." Suggested Tony, "She'd want to meet Carter in person anyways."

"Why Carter?" Asked Rhodey, "Don't get me wrong, it's the perfect name for him, but why Carter?"

"My aunt Peggy," responded Tony. Rhodey knew about the legendary Peggy Carter, or better known to Tony as, "Aunt Peggy". Tony felt horrible when she got sick. This was his way of keeping the legend rolling.

"Hopefully he'll be just as smart and amazing as she was."

"Is! She's not dead yet Rhodes."

Yelling was heard in the distance. "I should see to that. I'll call you back later. Congratulations by the way!"

"Ok, see you soon Honey Bear!" and with that the line was silent and Tony went back to rocking his son.

*Bruce*

"Hey man, congratulations.""Thanks, Brucey."

"So how are you doing?"

"Tired, elated, on top of the world."

"That's fantastic Tony! Thank you, by the way, for giving us all a place to stay."

"It's nothing, Bruce. We're a team now. It only makes sense we all live together."

"Well, I'll let you get back to your kid. Congratulations by the way."

"Thanks, Bruce. I'll see you later."

The call ended and Tony got up to make Carter a bottle. Even though he had done all the research in the world to prepare for Carter's arrival, Tony was still surprised by the sheer amount of food his tiny baby was able to eat. Even so, Tony wouldn't trade Carter for anything in the world. Tony looked his son in the eyes and he took his bottle. This would be a moment he would treasure for the rest of his life. Carter was new to this world, and Tony vowed that he would do everything in his power to keep his son safe.

*Natasha*

Natasha just sent a very simple text:

"Cute"

That was it. No explanation. No continuation of the conversation. Just "Cute".

*Clint*

"Afternoon Shell-head!"

"Hey, Birdbrain.""Congrats on the kid man. Listen is there some way I can contact you on a more private line? I have some sensitive information to tell you." Tony looked confused but complies anyway.

"JARVIS, make sure this line is secure. Nobody gets in except Barton and I."

"Already done sir." Replied the AI.

"Ok Barton, the line's secure. So, what's up?"

"So, um, I'm a dad too. That's not exactly common knowledge." Tony hummed in surprise. "You see because I'm a spy we needed to keep them safe. So, Fury set up a safe house that until now, only himself, Nat, and I knew about. I'm telling you because I trust you to keep this a secret. That and also, I'm the veteran dad here. Therefore, I have all the answers." Tony took a moment to absorb the information he was given. This was a serious display of trust and he had no idea why Barton was even trusting his with this information.

"Quick question. Why are you even trusting me with this information? I'm flattered, by the way, but why?"

"There's a few reasons. First of all, we're both superhero dads. We need to stick together. Second, you didn't walk on eggshells around me after the whole mind control thing. Lots of people did, but not you. I begrudgingly appreciate that."

"Trust me Legolas, I know what it's like to be manipulated. S'not your fault."

"Well, if you need help I'm just a phone call away. I'll let you get back to the baby. The first few weeks are important for bonding."

"Thanks, Clint. Hope to see you in the tower in a few weeks." Tony hung up the phone and looked back at Carter. He had once again fallen asleep in his arms, completely content to be held and talked to. Tony rocked back and forth in the rocking chair. He began to sing to Carter, just to let him know that his daddy was there and that he loved him. It had only been about 10 hours, but Tony was already thinking that this whole parenting thing was a piece of cake. He would be kicking himself in a couple hours for even thinking that though.

*Steve*

"Hello, Captain Rogers. Didn't think you'd be able to figure out how to make a phone call."

"We had phones back when I was a kid Stark. I wanted to send my congratulations for your son."

"Thanks." Tony hadn't really been expecting this. Sure, he and Steve got along alright now, but still. "Carter really is already the best kid on the planet. Just look at his little face." He gushed, "My kids' is going places, Rogers. Just you watch." Steve and Tony both smiles, although neither could see the other due to the fact that this was a phone call.

"May I ask about your son's name, if that's alright?" mumbled Steve. He had an inkling on where the name came from. After all, Tony was Howards son. It wasn't a stretch to think that Tony knew her.

"I had a feeling you would ask." Tony whispered, "He's named after my Aunt Peggy. She practically raised me when she was here in New York. Hey, when I take Carter to meet her, you should tag along. I bet she would love to see you again." Babbled Tony.

"I'd like that." Smiled Steve

"So, uh, how's the future treating you?" asked Tony.

"To be honest, I'm very lost. I have no idea what's going on and, to be honest, SHEILD isn't really helping at all."

"I noticed that when I read your file. Wouldn't it make sense for them to try and integrate you into the future instead of keeping you in the past."

"You're right. I felt that something fishy was going on when we were on the hellicarrier. The weapons they were making looked a lot like the HYDRA weapons from back in the day."

"Something is up. Unfortunately, there's not a whole lot I can do at the moment. I can, however, help you learn about all the stuff you missed. Why don't you stop by the tower in a few days? We can watch movies and I can give you some lessons on what you missed. Plus, I could use an extra set of hands." Said Tony enthusiastically.

"Um, sure. I'll let you know when I'm coming by." Said Steve, "Well, I'll let you get back to being a dad. Congratulations again, by the way."

"Thanks, Rogers. See you soon." And with that, the line went silent as Tony went back to singing to Carter. Maybe he and Steve could be friends. They had already made up for their fight on the hellicarrier, so why not? So, Tony continued to sit with Carter, waiting for Pepper to come up and visit. She should be there in an hour or so, and hopefully with food. In all the craziness of his day, Tony had failed to realize how hungry he was. At least his son was fed. That had to count for something.

It was around 7 o'clock when Pepper knocked on the door to his bedroom. She opened the door and immediately jogged over to coo over the baby. She kneeled on the ground in front of the two and ran a hand over Carter's head.

"Tony, he's so perfect." Pepper smiled

"I know. He's so small Pepper. I can't believe how small he is."

"Just like his daddy." Jokes Pepper. Tony wanted to glare at her but didn't have it in his heart.

"Pepper," Tony whispered, "I just," Tony felt a tear roll down his cheek, "Thank you so much. Carter wouldn't be here without you." He touched his head down to Pepper's, "Thank you. I don't know how I can ever repay you for this."

"Oh Tony," Pepper whispered, "The best way that you can repay me is to make sure that you and Carter live your best lives. Keep him safe Tony. Show him the best of the world." Pepper ruffled his hair and took her eyes off the infant. "So, I take it you haven't eaten yet?"

"You know me so well Pep."

Pepper helped Tony to his feet and took the baby from his so that he could stretch his arms. This was the first time that he had let someone else hold Carter. And, even though it was Pepper holding him, Tony was still filled with anxiety until Carter was back in his arms. "Great, I'm already helicopter parenting." Thought Tony. Pepper prepared a chicken caesar salad and the two ate while talking quietly. "Today was a good day." Decided Tony. "No today was the best day I've ever had." And he was right. Today his life changed for once, for the better. He was now a proud father to the cutest little boy. Nothing could ever take this feeling away from him. Not even this weird feeling he got in his chest whenever he talked to Steve.

This was super fun to write. After Home Coming I had so many Irondad feels so I just had to write this story. I hope you're all enjoying it. Until next time -Shadows.


	4. A long day's night

The first two weeks of Carter's life were nothing short of interesting for Tony. Both experienced a lot of firsts, such as first diaper change (That was a complete disaster), and first bath (That went better than expected). Pepper was in and out, being around to help so that Tony would have the chance to eat and sleep. Not that he really did either in a regular schedule, to begin with, but he wasn't going to complain about Pepper's help. Tony was absolutely in love with his little boy. Every time he held him, Tony felt teary eyed. This was his son and he couldn't get enough of holding him. So, his life for the last few weeks had completely revolved around Carter. Tony considered himself lucky. Or, more happy that he was thinking of others well being while he was still CEO. You see, Stark Industries was one of the few major companies that offered both paid maternity and paternity leave. Tony had instituted that back in 1996 just after he had taken the reins from Stane. This was well before all his drunken stupidity encouraged by Stane. It could be argued that the first few years of his stupid behaviour could be blamed on his "guardian". Stane never tried to stop his drinking after his parents died. He never tried to stop his stupid, self-destructive behaviour. He never showed that he cared for Tony. Stane just wanted to groom him to do what he wanted so that he could deal weapons under the table to people who only wanted to hurt others. Tony tried not to dwell on the past anymore. He had more important things to worry about now. Either way, he was glad he did that because now he had three whole months where he wasn't forced to go to board meetings or invent new tech for SI. He could just stay home with Carter.

At the end of Carter's second week of life, Tony was sitting in the communal living room and giving Carter his bottle. He didn't want to just keep the baby in his room all the time. He needed to experience different things and places, even if it was just in the safety of the tower. So, there he sat on the couch when JARVIS made himself known.

"Sir, it seems that Captain Rogers has entered the tower. Shall I send him up?"

"Sure thing J."

Tony continued to sit there feeding Carter. He trusted JARVIS to show Rogers where he was. It would probably take a few minutes, but the good Captain would find his way up to the communal floor. So, Tony let himself get lost in his son's eyes as he drank his bottle. Carter's eyes were identical to his own, all big and brown. Almost all babies were born with blue eyes and would get the different pigments later. Not Carter. He had his dad's chocolatey eyes from the beginning. It was a few moments later that Steve Rogers finally made his way out of the elevator and down the hall to the living room.

"Stark, you here?"

"On the sofa Cap." Steve made his way over to where Tony was and immediately lost it over the tiny baby in Tony's arms.

"Look at him! He's so small. I've never seen someone so small. Look at his hands! They're so tiny." The captain gushed. Tony just shook his head and smiled. Who would have thought that the great Captain America would lose it over a baby!

"Nice to see you too, Capcicle." Said Tony with a smile.

"Uh, sorry Stark. It's good to see you too." Muttered Steve as he rubbed the back of his neck. "So, uh, how have you been?"

"Tired, but that's not really new. I've made a list by the way, of things you need to catch up on." Tony handed Steve a small stack of papers. "The ones with a red star next to them are things you can look up on your own and form your own opinion. If you have questions just ask. Green is books you should read, blue is movies and pop-culture, black is historical events. We have most of the books in the library, for anything else you can just ask JARVIS. Anything to do with music you can form your own opinions on, although my music taste is the best." Rambled Tony. Steve was a bit in shock. When the two had first met they had hated each other. Then after the whole debacle with Tony's reactor, they got along a bit better. But still, Steve was in awe of the fact that he had just been handed a list and resources to help him adjust to the future. This was WAY more than SHIELD had done.

"Thank you, Tony. This means a lot."

"It's nothing. Hey, once Carter goes down for his nap I'll give you the grand tour, show you your room." Steve nodded and the two talked about what they had been up to in the last few months. Steve really hadn't been up to much. SHEILD was essentially keeping him on lockdown so he hadn't gotten out to explore like he wanted to.

"So, uh, I know you've been busy with the baby, but what else have you been up to?" asked Steve. He genuinely wanted to know what exactly genius inventors get up to?

"Well, I finally got around to publishing this chemistry paper I should have done a year ago."

"What's it about?"

"I created a new element. It's what makes this," Tony tapped the reactor in his chest "run. It used to be Palladium, but that wasn't working so I made this."

"That's…wow! Impressive." Said Steve in awe. "So, what do you call this new element, Starkium?" he joked

"I call it Yinsinium, but that's a story for another day. I'll be right back. Gotta put Carter down for his nap." The genius rambled. He seemed a bit put off by the nature of the question. Steve just sat there awkwardly while Tony went to put Carter in his bassinet. When Tony came back he gave Steve a tour of each floor with the exception of the other Avenger's rooms. The library was expansive. There were bookshelves that ran from floor to ceiling, each one full of different books and sorted by subject. In the middle of the room was a game table with a few chairs. This sat in view of a large bay window with a cream coloured window seat. Around the room were various beanbag chairs and on the far wall was a bookcase with Steve's name on it. It was full to the brim with books from the list Tony gave him.

"You didn't have to do this Stark." Said Steve, a very faint blush creeping onto his face.

"It's nothing. I wanted to." And with that, they made their way down the hall to the next room.

The gym looked like you'd expect it to. Other than the reinforced hulk chamber, target range, and multiple super soldier proof pieces of equipment. Steve was impressed that Tony had managed to make punching bags strong enough so that it would take a lot more force to break than the ones back at SHIELD. Steve could see himself spending a lot of time down here in the foreseeable future.

Steve's bedroom was the definition of plain. White walls, bare bed, no decorations what so ever in a room that was way too big for one person.

"Now I know it seems a little bare now, but you have free rein here to make this room however you want. Paint it however you want, JARVIS can order you anything you need. Don't worry about money, it's all covered." Steve just stood there with his mouth open. This was too much for him to handle. When they first met, Steve had insulted the man, called him names, and belittled his intelligence. He felt horrible for it now. Tony had done so much for him, gave him a new home, resources to help him adjust, hell, he even put his trust in him to take care of his son if he had died during the battle of New York. And what had he done? Nothing. Someday he would have to find a way to repay Tony for everything he'd done. For now, he'd settle on a showing his thanks. So, Steve took a few steps forward and pulled the smaller man into a crushing hug.

"Ummm. I, uh, ok, don't really do the whole hugging thing." Mumbled Tony as he talked into Steve's well-toned chest "Shit shit shit! His chest!" thought Tony.

"Oh! Sorry." Steve backed up and looked back at Tony. "It's just… Thank you. For this. It's great."

"It's nothing. Sooooo, I'll let you get settled in. I should go check on Carter. Come up to the common floor around 6. Dinner and a movie, get you started on that list of yours." And with that Tony left the room leaving a stunned Steve in his wake.

When Steve emerged from his room he was surprised to see Tony Standing with his son in the kitchen. Something smelled amazing so Steve walked over to the island to see what it was cooking. As Steve approached he could hear Tony singing to the infant in his arms. Steve took a seat as Tony continued to rock and sing to his son, seemingly unaware of his companion who had entered the kitchen. When Tony had finished his song, he continued to have his back turned to Steve and he cradled the baby.

"What language was that? Italian?" asked Steve suddenly. Tony turned around to face the other man with a surprised look.

"Uh, Ya. My mother was Italian. She used to sing these songs to me when I was a baby. Well before Howard made her stop." Steve didn't know what to make of this information so he just asked more questions.

"So, do you speak any other languages?"

"Spanish, Dari, French, and I'm learning ASL."

"That's impressive I only speak French and English. So… what's for dinner?"

"Lasagna. Thought you'd appreciate something simple."

Tony got Carter situated in his little portable bassinet and the two sat down at the table to eat. Tony ate very little while Steve at almost everything there was. Steve didn't bother to ask questions about his eating habits. It wasn't worth the argument. After dinner, they sat down on the couch while Tony asked JARVIS to put on some movie called Star Wars.

Wait, wait, wait! Why are we starting with episode 4? Shouldn't we start with the first one?"

"Oh, mon capitan, this is the first one. You watch than 4, 5, 6, 1, 2, 3. That's how it works."

So, the two sat side by side on the plush sofa. Tony had Carter cradled in his arms, half paying attention to the film. He was looking down at Carter, brushing his thumb over the sleeping infant's cheek. Steve spent the first few minutes of the film sneaking glances at the man. Steve had always felt conflicted about his feelings for men. Back in his time, it was punishable by death for a man to love another. Now Steve was here in the future, maybe things were different now. He would have to check the list Tony gave him, and ask the man himself later. Maybe he would be safer here in the future.

The film continued on and Steve became engrossed in the story. It was interesting and the characters were compelling. By the end of the film, Steve couldn't wait to watch the next one. During the credits, Tony put Carter down in his bassinet and rolled it behind the sofa so that the light from the television wouldn't disturb his sleep. They moved onto episode 5, and the two curled up on the couch. After the last movie, Steve decided to retire to his room. He bid Tony good night and retired to his room. Tony, on the other hand, decided that this night was too good to be true. Steve had given him a hug. This little crush of his was officially out of control. Not cool Stark, not cool. Tony decided to take Carter to his room. Tony made his way to his lab, letting JARVIS know to let him know immediately if something was up with Carter. Maybe he could work himself to sleep. Maybe the nightmares would stop for just a day.

It was Three days after Steve arrived at the tower that something notable happened. Steve had walked down to the communal floor for lunch when he heard Carter crying and Tony…Panicking!

"Um… Tony? You guys alright?"

"Steve, I'm on the sofa. I need your help." He whimpered. WHIMPERED? Since when did Stark whimper? Steve ran over to the couch to see Tony with one hand with Carter in his cradle. The other, holding an ice pack to his chest.

"Tony! What happened?"

"It's nothing. Please, I need you to pick Carter up and rock him. I can't pick him up like this."

"Ok, uh, sure." Steve picked up and cradled Carter just like Tony had shown him how the other day. Almost instantly the infant began to settle down and Steve rocked him in his arms.

"So, care to tell me what's going on Stark."

Tony sighed. "It's the reactor. It goes quite deep into my chest. Reduced my lung capacity and removed part of my sternum. Sometimes it gets more painful than normal and I just lie down for a bit. Normally I've been trying to do that when Carter naps, but…"

"Wait, you said more than usual. Does it hurt all the time?"

"Ya, but it's the price I pay for all the crap I've done."

Steve didn't know what to say, so he just held the baby until he fell asleep. Once he was down, Steve sat down on one of the chairs and JARVIS put on another movie from his list. He and Tony had been getting along quite well as of late. Steve was even beginning to think of the man as his friend and he felt horrible that his friend was constantly in pain.

The rest of Steve's 2 weeks in the tower were uneventful. They spent most days together ticking off items on Steve's list. The movies were interesting and the book taught him loads of useful information and Tony was more than happy to supply information when necessary. It was three days before Steve left that he asked Tony a very important question.

"Hey Tony, what does LGBT stand for?" Tony looked up from his tablet to see Steve standing above him.

"I see you've got to that item on the list. Well… stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Trans. Now, I know you're from a different era, but things are different now. The good people don't kill others for who they choose to love."

"So, you're saying that it's alright to be Gay?"

"Yes. And for full transparency, I'm Bisexual. If you've got a problem with that keep it to yourself."

"What's bisexual mean?"

"It means I like guys and girls."

"So that's the word for it." Whispered Steve

"What was that?"

"Nothing. Just, thank you. Telling me must not have been easy. I've never judged someone for who they loved. I'm glad this world has fixed that problem."

"Oh, it's still a problem. The world is still filled with bigots. But in most states same-sex marriage is legal and you won't get killed in the streets for holding a boy's hand. There's still a lot of work to be done, and I still get hate from people who refuse to let me love who I want to. But it's better than it was."

Steve smiled at Tony. He'd gotten to know the other man well in the past 2 weeks. He was beginning to trust him. So, if Tony said that it was alright to love whoever he wanted then he wanted to explore that. On July 29th Steve got a call in from SHEILD and had to go. He bid farewell to Tony and Carter with a promise to return soon. Tony said goodbye and went back up his lab to wallow in self-pity over his stupid crush.


	5. I'm fine I swear

Trigger warning for mentions of child abuse, self-harm, panic attacks, and murder. Please read the notes at the end of the chapter. You have been warned

* * *

Carter was now one month old and Tony was very tired. Yes, he had expected to be exhausted with the baby, but he was also hoping that he would do that thing where you sleep when the baby does. The Battle of New York threw that out the window. Every time Tony closed his eyes he saw the wormhole and the Chitauri hurting his friends. He saw Loki trying to hurt his son. He saw himself failing to get rid of the nuke. It was akin to torture. Most nights Tony only got an hour of sleep before the nightmares woke him up, and subsequently, Carter. Once the other Avengers moved in he would have to get them to babysit so he could get just a little bit of sleep.

One week after Steve left, he came back to the tower and Tony was thrilled. As soon as Steve walked into the living room Tony passed Carter off to him so that he could get some sleep without risking waking up the baby with his screaming. Steve understood that Tony needed to sleep, but didn't understand why he wasn't doing so. It was at the end of that week that Bruce moved into the tower.

"Hey, Bruce." Said Tony and Steve from the couch in the living room. Bruce walked over to them and sat across from the other two.

"So, this must be Carter." Said, Bruce, as he noticed the tiny infant in Tony's arms. "He looks like you."

"This is him. So Brucey, I'll give you the grand tour once Carter goes down for his nap. You'll love your new lab. All new outfitting's, state of the art. It's candy land."

"I'd love that, thanks, Tony."

So now there was another occupant to the tower. Bruce spent most of his time in the lab while Tony tended to stick to his room and the living room with the baby. Steve was in and out doing things for SHIELD.

"Hey Steve," said Tony on a sunny day in mid-August, "I'm driving up to Washington on Saturday to visit Aunt Peggy. Thought you might want to tag along."

"Are you sure? I don't want to intrude."

"It's fine Cap. She'll be thrilled to see you again." Smiled Tony. So, a few days later Tony, Steve, and Carter piled into one of Tony's less flashy cars and began the drive up to Washington. Carter slept for most of the ride while Steve and Tony listened to music quietly and Talked about random things like the evolution of technology since Steve went into the ice.

Tony parked his car in the parking garage across the street from the hospice that Peggy Carter now lived in. They exited the car and Tony walked around the back to pick up Carter's car carrier. When they walked in the receptionist greeted Tony with a smile and let the trio into the facility. They were just outside Peggy's room on the fourth floor when Steve began to get nervous. Peggy hadn't seen him in around 70 years. How would she even react?

"I can hear you thinking from over here Capcicle. What's going on?"

"What is she doesn't remember me?" asked Steve

"Trust me, she will. I grew up hearing the stories of the great Captain America and the Howling Commandos. Also, she knows I'm bringing you. You'll be fine." Tony pats Steve's shoulder and opens the door.

"Hi Aunt Peggy!" exclaimed Tony as he went and sat down in one of the chairs next to her.

"Oh, my little ducky. How have you been?" said the famed Peggy Carter as she leaned up to give her godson a hug.

"I'm good Aunt Peggy. A little tired, but good. I have Steve here with me." And with that Steve entered and sat down in the adjacent to Tony's while Tony unbuckled Carter from his car seat.

"Hi Peggy, it's good to see you again."

"Steven Rogers, it's good to see you too. I've missed you." She took his hand and gave it a squeeze.

"I'm sure you've got some pretty interesting stories to tell knowing you Pegs. Like why you just called Tony your "little ducky"?" Steve smirked

"Oh boy." Facepalmed Tony

"Oh, you see, when Anthony here was just a little over a year old, Jarvis and Ana got him a little ducky onesie that he never took off. He would cry and cry until one of us put it back on him." Smiles Peggy

"This is just embarrassing." Deadpanned Tony. "But, speaking of duckies,"

"Yes! Anthony dear let me meet my grandson." Tony passed Peggy the sleeping baby adorned in a duck onesie. Peggy took the infant in her arms and held him close to her chest.

"I remember when you were this small Anthony. He looks like you." Everyone in the room smiled as Carter continued to sleep in Peggy's arms. The rest of the afternoon consisted of Peggy telling stories of her time founding SHIELD. Tony knew all of them but still enjoyed them regardless. That and Steve's reactions were priceless.

"Thank you for this." Spoke Steve as they left that evening.

"It's nothing." Dismissed Tony. "Hey, I know you're staying here for a bit on SHIELD stuff. I'll drive you back to your place before I take off." And that's what he did. Once Steve was dropped off at his SHIELD mandated apartment, Tony took to the road to drive back to Manhattan.

It took a week for shit to hit the fan. Apparently, a certain super-soldier and a deadly assassin decided to blow up SHIELD. Bruce and Tony spent most of their time after receiving a call from Steve, hacking into the SHIELD database to collect as much information as they could on the HYDRA agents that had infiltrated the organization. At least Steve and Natasha had trusted them enough to ask for some help. But still, it was one of the most stressful few days of their lives. Fury was "dead", Steve and Natasha were on the run, and Tony was up to his eyeballs in convoluted SHIELD data. It culminated in many sleepless nights and eye strain. Finally, after three days of absolute exhaustion, Natasha gave them a phone call to say that they had effectively destroyed SHIELD and that Steven was in the hospital. Tony immediately packed up some things for Carter and drove down to DC. "It's because he's my friend. That's it. Just one friend checking in on the other… GOD DAMN IT STARK! Get your head together." Thought Tony. Once he arrived at the hospital, Tony grabbed Carter's carrier and baby bag and made his way up to Steve's room.

"Tony! I wasn't expecting you to come here." Said a very much alert and not dying Steve.

"Well, Carter had to get his two-month vaccines and I knew you were here so why not. Also, I have it on good authority that baby cuddles make everything better." Tony smiled back at Steve and took Carter out of his carrier.

"Hey, Carter baby." Said Steve as he smiled at the infant, and was surprised when he got a smile back.

"Tony! He smiled at me!"

"Ya," snickered Tony, "he started doing that the other day. I guess he must recognize your voice."

"I feel like I'm intruding on something intimate." Came a voice from the door. The occupants of the room turned towards the door to see who was talking.

"Oh, um, sorry. Tony this is Sam. Sam this is Tony." Said Steve sheepishly

"Nice to finally meet you." Said, Sam, as he shook Tony's hand. The three sat and talked for a little bit and eventually Natasha entered the room with release papers for Steve. She was momentarily taken back by the sight of Carter sleeping in Steve's arms.

"That your kid Stark?"

"Yup, this is Carter."

"He's smaller than I thought he would be."

"Natasha, he's two months old. Of course, he's small."

Steve passed Carter back to Tony and made his way to the bathroom to get changed while everyone else got packed up. When Steve emerged dressed in jeans and a white button-down shirt. Tony dragged them all to his car with the team saying a good-bye to Sam with a promise to keep in touch. The car ride was mostly Steve and Natasha filling him in on all the nitty-gritty stuff that happened including the fight with the infamous Winter Soldier. When they got to that part Steve just looked sad at the mention of this.

"His name is Bucky. I think HYDRA did something to him. He had this metal arm and wasn't acting right. He didn't even recognize me."

"How about when we get back I'll set you up with JARVIS. We managed to salvage most of the data from SHIELD so you can go over any data pertaining to the Winter Soldier."

"Thanks, Tony. You're the best." Said, Steve, as he yawned and leaned his head against the window. They continued the drive back in silence. When they arrived back at the tower, Steve went to his room to pour over the data, Tony put Carter down in his bassinet and gave Natasha the grand tour, Bruce continued to keep to himself in the lab. It was a mostly calm night with everyone keeping to themselves. Tony spent time down in the lab so he wouldn't wake Carter. If he couldn't get any sleep, might as well be productive, right?

"Tony… Can I talk to you?" asked Steve.

It had been three days since they all came home to the tower after the whole SHIELD thing. Tony was sitting in the living room feeding Carter his bottle when Steve came and sat down beside him.

"Sure, just let me finish feeding Carter and we can talk."

"Alright." Said Steve. He looked a bit nervous. "Great, what did I do now?" thought Tony. He finished feeding the baby and took him back to his room so that he could sleep. Babies sure do a lot of sleeping. Once Carter was down Tony made his way back to the living room to find Steve sitting on the couch wringing his hands with a tablet on his lap.

"Ok soldier, what's going on in that head of yours?" asked a very worried Tony as he looked at the man on the couch.

"Tony… you should come sit down for this." Tony wandered over to the couch and sat down next to Steve. He was able to take a peek at the tablet screen. It looked like a video but it was too grainy for Tony to see properly at the angle he was at.

"What's going on Steven?"

"Well," Steve couldn't look Tony in the eyes. He just looked sad, "So, uh, JARVIS was showing me all the data you uncovered about the Winter Soldier. There, uh, there's definitely evidence of brainwashing. It was really hard to watch. I'll have to show the evidence. But, uh, there's this one video. It's just… Tony, I'm so sorry." Steve had a few tears in his eyes.

"What's going on?"

"Tony, I found this video from December 16th, 1991."

"Steve…"

"Tony I'm so so sorry, but Tony, you deserve to know." He thrust the tablet into Tony's hands. Tony visibly flinched at the action but took the tablet none the less. He took a look at the screen and took in a shaky breath.

"I know that road. Steve…" Steve just looked at him with his sad blue eyes. Tony looked down at the screen and pressed play. What he saw was disturbing. He saw the car hit the street light. He saw Howard fall out of the car. He saw the Winter Soldier bash Howard's face in. He saw him put Howard back in the drivers' seat. He saw the Soldier reach in a choke his mother to death. Tony's vision blurred. His hands were starting to shake so he put the tablet down. He couldn't breathe. There wasn't enough air. Tony felt his chest tighten and his brain go all fuzzy. Tony vaguely felt himself slide off the couch and onto the floor. Steve was right next to him, but Tony could barely register that.

"Captain Rogers, it appears that Sir is having a severe panic attack. I suggest keeping your distance and talking to him. Until he calms down a bit." Tony wasn't even paying attention to JARVIS. He felt like he was being choked, just like how he had just seen his mother.

"Tony, Tony please you need to try to breathe. Tony please." Tony's breath was ragged as his brain tried to comprehend what he just saw. He thought that he could hear Steve talking to him, but that was the least of what was going on him his head. His brain finally came to a singular conclusion. He just saw his mother get murdered. His sweet mother who tried so hard to protect him from Howard's drunken fists. The woman who sang to him and read to him before Howard made her stop. Sure, she had been dead now for over 20 years, but this, this was just the worst.

"JARVIS, can you let Banner and Romanov know what's going on so they can check in on Carter." Tony was beginning to focus in on Steve's voice and that in turn, allowed Tony to regain a bit of his voice.

"That was my mom. He… he…. he k… he killed my mom!" Tony burst into tears. The last time Tony had cried had been the Battle of New York. The last time before that had been when Edwin Jarvis had died when he was 22. He had cried ugly tears then and he was crying ugly tears now. Tony was outright sobbing. All his fears and anger culminating in tears and shaking. He felt Steve scoot closer to him and gather him in his arms. Tony was too upset to care about his dignity at the moment and buried his face in the man's chest. They stayed like that for a while, the whole time Steve was talking to him, trying to remind Tony where he was and that he and his son were in safe hands. After sitting on the grounds for what seemed like forever, Tony finally stopped crying and was able to scoot back away from Steve to get some air.

"M'sorry" muttered Tony.

"Tony, you just saw your mom and dad get murdered. I think you have the right to be upset."

"Don't! Don't call that BASTARD my father! Bitch got what he deserved." Spat Tony

"Tony, he was your father. What could he have done that was so bad?"

Tony was at a loss. Effectively he had two choices before him. Tell Steve the truth or hide in his room with the baby for the rest of his life. Well, he'd just cried all over the man, his dignity was out the window so what else could he lose? Everything. He could lose everything. Although he had trusted Steve once before, maybe he could do it again.

"Bastard beat me and my mom. He drank too much. Was a grade A asshole." Whispered Tony. Steve's eyes widened. He reached over to take one of Tony's hands. This was a lot of information to process. The Howard Steve knew would never have done anything like that. But to be honest, Steve didn't get to know the man very well. Maybe as he aged, Howard had changed into a monster. Steve looked at Tony's face. Only now was he seeing the scars that covered his face and neck. Could some of them be from Howard Stark?

"These scars, are they…?"

"Most of them. The others are from Afghanistan and being Iron Man."

"You, you flinched when I passed you the tablet…"

"I don't like being handed things." Tony took a deep breath. "When I was three Howard handed me a soldering iron. It was still hot so I dropped it. He slapped me and told me not to drop his tools and said I was a disgrace. After that, when I was in his workshop if he handed me something I wouldn't drop it, even if it was hot. It's a tell of mine. I trust you if I actually take something from your hands."

Steve looked shocked. He grasped Tony's hand harder and traced the scars on his palm. "Tony, I'm so sorry." He whispered.

"It's alright."

"No Tony! It's not! You were a kid… Tony what else? What else did he do?"

Tony began to tell stories of various beatings. Like the time he got hit because he got an A- on a math test when he was 7. Or the time he got pushed down the stairs because he tried to protect his mom when he was 10. Or the years of being yelled at and being told that he was nothing compared to the great Captain America.

"God there was I time where I hated you. I wanted nothing to do with you because Howard never shut up about you. How could this little 13-year-old kid compare to Captain Fucking America?"

"Tony, none of what happened to you was fair. I can't… I can't believe that he did that to you." Steve clutched Tony's hand even tighter in his own. Steve had seen what some men had done to their children growing up. To think that his teammate and friend had gone through that too. He looked at Tony's face and just saw emptiness. This was the farthest thing possible from the man he had read about in his briefing packet. His finger brushed the skin under Tony's sleeve. He felt a scar underneath the dark fabric. He pushed Tony's sleeve up to see a constellation of scars up his forearm.

"Tony?" The man in question yanked his arm back and pulled down the dark sleeve of his shirt with force.

"It's nothing. I'm fine I swear." He mumbled. Steve just went in for another hug. Tony flinched a bit but reciprocated anyway.

"I uh, I think I'm going to go lay down for a bit. Think about everything I just saw. Um, I'll be out around 7 for movie night. I am not letting you watch Star Trek without me." Tony got up to go to his room leaving Steve there to think about everything Tony had told him. Steven Grant Rogers hated bullies, and It looked like Howard Stark was one of the biggest he had ever seen. The rational side of his brain knew that Tony was being extremely brave telling him everything and that the man could take care of himself. Hell, Tony saved New York from certain doom during the invasion. But the irrational side of his brain wanted to do nothing more than protect the man and his son from any and everything that could hurt them. This was heavy information. This on top of the whole Bucky thing was just great. Everything was going wrong and Steve wanted to fix it. Once the Avengers put up a united front and did some press after this whole SHIELD/HYDRA mess, Steve could start slowly looking for Bucky, and he could think of some way to help Tony. Now THAT sounded like a plan! Steve got up and went to his room, hoping that Tony was getting some much-needed sleep or that he was cuddling Carter. Tony was right, after all, baby cuddles cure-all.

* * *

Step one to solving the Civil War problem is complete! I hope you all like the chapter. We got to see Peggy Carter, Steve got his ass handed to him by the Winter Soldier, and Tony got years of horrible memories off his chest. This chapter was a pain to write due to the subject matter at the end. I tried to mirror it after some of my own experiences. The reason I had Tony tell Steve pretty much everything was for the fact that he's really an all or nothing guy. I promise that Tony's scars and mental illness will get addressed in the next chapter. Also, the whole Peggy calling Tony her "Little Ducky" thing, I just got this vision of human Jarvis putting baby Tony in a duck onsie and I just had to write it. Well, until next time -Shadows


	6. We share an iron heart

Just a warning, in this chapter I make reference to the very confusing MCU timeline to reference events. Trying to get this to work is a pain in the ass so I'm very sorry. Just roll with it. This chapter has mentions of gore and blood. Ye have been warned.

* * *

Things around the tower were tense for a few days. Tony was on edge, Steve was on edge, Clint had moved in and felt the need to prank everyone. Steve tried to spend time with Tony and the baby. Tony was having none of that, even if he did secretly appreciate having Steve around to watch Carter while he attempted to sleep. Their press tour was booked and the team really needed Thor to show up. The team was two days out from leaving on the first leg of the press tour when they had a lucky break. The team was in the living room watching Mulan when the light of the Bifrost shone from outside. Of course, that was also accompanied by the loud sound of thunder, which in turn woke up Carter. So not only was there the general excitement at having their teammate return, but Tony also had to deal with a crying infant.

"Hello, friend Avengers!" shouted a very enthusiastic Thor as he walked into the common area. He was quickly silenced by a collective "SHHHHHH!" from everyone else. Thor looked confused at the reaction of the group. Tony began rocking Carter back and forth while humming as he walked around the room in an attempt to calm the infant back down. Thor took a moment to take in the scene. Everyone looked exhausted like they had been battling frost giants for the past week.

"Thor, please keep it down. We just got Carter to sleep." Muttered Tony as he paced with his son.

"May I ask what is going on?" asked Thor as he took in his surroundings.

"So, this is my son Carter. He's almost three months old, and all of us have been up all night trying to get him to sleep so please Point Break, I'm begging you to please keep the noise down."

"Why were all of you up?"

"Steve was with me for movie night when Carter woke up. That lasted forever. Eventually, Bruce came out of his lab and got roped into helping. Clint lives in the vents and heard the crying so he came to help and managed to get Natasha down here and we only got Carter down 20 minutes ago and now he's up again." Spoke a very tired Tony while the rest of the Avengers nodded in agreement.

"I am very sorry for waking your son Man of Iron."

"It's alright, 'm just tired. Might as well get you up to date on everything since we're all here."

Tony and Steve explained to Thor everything that had happened in his absence and how their press tour would work. It would take place over three weeks in five major cities. And most of the trip would be travelled by car. Luckily, Pepper was a saint and would be with them at each conference to help babysit, since SI was now the main backer of the Avengers, so it made sense for her to be there. Their first stop was right here in New York. They were being asked to appear in uniform with the exception of Bruce and Tony who got to wear suits because of the nature of their "uniforms". So, two days after Thor's arrival to the tower, The Avengers got dressed and made their way to the conference room on the first floor of the tower.

The Avengers filed into the conference room and were seated at a long table on a stage at the front of the room. All the other seats were filled with various reporters and public interest personal. Tony was mentally preparing himself for all the hateful comments on his part. He was used to hearing them and should be used to it by now. Tony knew how to put on his mask and play to the crowd, even if in private he hated all the public appearances and parties he had to attend. Tony would have been perfectly happy to just stay in the tower with his son, but unfortunately, this was one of those things that had to be done. Once everyone was seated the Avengers went down the line introducing themselves to the world.

"So, now that you've gotten the chance to learn our names I should very quickly explain the political side of this before we get to the fun questions." Spoke Tony. "So, I would like to welcome Captain Rogers up to address our terms and ideas as a team." Steve grabbed his mic and took over the conversation.

"Thank you, Dr. Stark." Steve took out a piece of paper with a pre-written speech on it. "This team was originally formed with the intent of fighting the battles that other could not. That is still our mission. We still plan to protect the world from extraterrestrial threats, but with the threat of HYDRA reviled to the world once more, we plan to fight for the rights and safety of every person on this planet. We, the Avengers, will be working with the Department of Defense to fight HYDRA on home soil and we have begun to make tentative arrangements with the United Nations to fight HYDRA and other threats to the safety of Earth in other countries. We plan to uphold the rights of every person regardless of race, gender, religion, or sexual orientation. Thank you." There was a smattering of applause but more people began shouting questions. Eventually, they managed to get the reporters who wanted to ask questions into a line in front of a microphone.

"A question for Dr. Banner." Spoke a reporter, "How can we be sure that The Hulk is not a threat?"

"I appreciate your concern, and the truth is that he can be unpredictable. Although it was seen during the battle that The Hulk will take orders from people he trusts, that being the members of this team. The power of The Hulk is in safe hands."

"Question for Mr. Odinson, seeing as how you are not from Earth, how can we be sure that you will protect us from threats and not turn on us?"

"I will not let any threat hurt Midgard. I have made friends here as well as my fair lady. It is my duty as a prince of Asgard and as a warrior to protect those that cannot protect themselves and to support my friends when they fight in combat."

"Question for Mr. Barton, you worked for SHIELD before it fell, how can we be sure that you were not HYDRA?"

"I can assure you that I never have and never will support Nazis. Look I know what it's like to be the odd one out. To be hunted and persecuted for being different. I will fight tooth and nail to make sure others don't have to go through the same things I have."

"Question for Captain Rogers. You're a man out of time, how have you been adapting to the changes that have happened since your crash into the Arctic?"

"It has been difficult. My fellow Avengers have been helping me adjust to the changes and I have been seeing a therapist to help with all the changes. When I went under the world was at war. That may still be true but the way we do things has changed."

"Miss Romanov, being a woman in this field must be hard. How do your diet and exercise play into your training?" There it was, the blatantly sexist question they had all been waiting for. They all knew that Natasha could hold her own and that they would get their asses beat if they tried to help, so the team just sat back to enjoy the show.

"What is it with reporters being obsessed with what powerful women eat and how their body looks? Like seriously, what's it to you if I eat kale all day or if only eat pie. You asked my teammates questions about their powers and worldviews but all I get is the "oh, she's a woman, therefore she shouldn't have an opinion on this so I'll just ask her about her diet" spiel. You all need to grow a spine and ask me some real questions." Barked a very irritated Natasha. The rest of the of the team tried to hide their smirks as the reporter tried not to look so chastised.

The rest of the interview went smoothly with the general public learning more about what each Avenger stood for. At the end of the interview, the Avengers made their way back up to the personal floors so that they could grab a bit to eat and watch a movie before turning in for the night. The next day they would be driving to Washington DC and the day after that they would be going on some talk show Pepper had picked out. This was going to be a long few weeks.

"Clint, I swear to God if you don't shut up I will dump you on the side of the road!" growled Tony. The team had been on the road for all of twenty minutes before all hell broke loose. Tony had the misfortune of sharing a car with Steve and Clint. Now, Steve was a great car companion. He asked questions about things and did NOT SING "Wheels on the Bus" ON A CONTINUOUS LOOP FOR TWENTY MINUTES EVEN THOUGH THE BABY WAS ASLEEP! There was snickering over the radio from the other car, probably Natasha.

"Clint, be nice or Stark's going to make you change diapers for a week." Said Natasha over the radio. They hadn't even left Manhattan yet and he wanted to punch Clint in the face. The only reason Clint was even in his car was that he needed someone in the back seat to watch Carter who knew what there were doing. Well, only three hours left. What could possibly go wrong?

Well, for starters Thor could get over excited about every single roadside attraction. Clint and Natasha could start a game of eye spy over the radio, and Bruce could almost have a "Code Green" because everyone in his car was the world's worst driving distraction. They ended up completely switching around the cars to keep the crazy contained to one car. So now Bruce was driving while Steve sat shotgun with Tony in the back with Carter. The crazy car could do whatever the hell they wanted as long as they arrived in one piece.

Once they finally arrived in DC, the rag-tag group of superheroes made their way to the hotel. They were sharing these huge two-bedroom suites. Thor was with Clint, Natasha was sharing with Bruce, and by some twist of fate (or Pepper), Tony and Steve were sharing. They were staying in Washington for four days, and what a long four days it would be. Steve was with Carter while Tony was unpacking when Tony made an unfortunate discovery.

"Shit!" muttered Tony angerly.

"What?" asked Steve as he rocked Carter in his arms.

"I forgot something important back home. I gotta call Pepper, one second." Tony pulled out his phone and scrolled through his list of contacts until he came across Pepper's.

"Hey Pepper." He spoke, "Well, I kinda forgot something important back at the tower. You wouldn't happen to have my spare inhaler with you?" Tony held the phone away from his ear as screaming could be heard from the other end. "No! I'm fine. I just forgot mine and knowing me I should probably have one on me." An audible "Tony!" could be heard on the other end of the line. "Thanks, Pep, you're a lifesaver." Steve looked at Tony incredulously. The technology may have changed in the 70 years he was in the ice, but Steve Rogers knew what an inhaler was.

"You have asthma?" asked Steve. Before he got an answer, there was a knock at the door. Pepper just threw the device at Tony and walked away angerly. Her heels clicking off into the distance.

"I don't have asthma in the traditional sense." Spoke Tony as he put the red canister on the bedside table. "The arc reactor reduced my lung capacity. When I got the reactor put in, it was in a cave with minimal medical equipment, so chest infection and mucus buildup is a thing. The inhaler just keeps it under control and helps if I need to do any crazy physical activity. Don't worry about it. I've got one of these built into the suit, so I can work on the field."

"I can't judge. Remember, I used to have asthma. I am in no position to argue with you. But what's this about having an operation in a cave?"

"Later." Tony brushed him off. "We've got a long day tomorrow and frankly I'd like to try and get a little bit of rest before shit hits the fan." The two men went off to bed all the while, Steve's head was spinning with all the new information he had just acquired about his friend.

The next day the group of heroes drove to one of the studios for a talk show interview and later that evening they would have a meeting with the President to thank them for stopping the end of the world and the nuking of New York City. Happy was looking after Carter for the day and had Tony on speed dial should anything go wrong. When they arrived, The Avengers walked in all dressed in formal wear and sat down on a couch to be interrogated by yet another public personality. At least this interview would be more fun than being hounded by the press. This was a talk show where the focus was going to be more on getting to know them as people and heroes.

"Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen and welcome to the Daily Late-Night Show! I'm your host James Alexander and for tonight's show, we have some very special guests. Please welcome Earth's Mightiest Heroes, The Avengers!" The crowd cheered and clapped. "Please welcome, The Black Widow, Natasha Romanov!" Natasha walked out wearing an elegant black dress that she probably had a few guns hidden under for safety. "Hawkeye, Clint Barton!" Clint ran out in a nice suit and waved at the crowd in excitement. "The Incredible Hulk, Dr. Bruce Banner!" Bruce walked in and sheepishly waved at the crowd. "The Prince of Asgard, Thor Odinson!" Thor was dressed in traditional Asgardian formal wear and the crowd ooh'd and ahh'd. "The man out of time, Captain America! It's Steven Rogers!" Steve walked out to raucous applause and a chant of USA! USA! USA! "Now, the man that needs no introduction! The Invincible Iron Man, Tony Stark!" The crowd went crazy as Tony walked in. He was wearing a pair of dress pants, a plain shirt, and a sports jacket and he looked impeccable as always.

The interview portion was fun. They were asked about their likes and dislikes, ("The food, I love the variety and the fact that everything isn't boiled!" said Steve) Most of the Avengers had funny things to say and fun stories to tell about life in the tower.

"We actually take turns cooking. It's fun. It's a chance to show off our different cultures and places we've travelled." Commented Clint.

"Even Stark?" asked the host.

"Yes! He's actually a really good cook." Commented Steve. Tony just sat there and smirked. He was half Italian, of course, he knew how to cook.

The show ended them playing some crazy game involving trivia and ice water. Everyone but Bruce and Tony left absolutely soaked.

"Yes! No cold water to the face for me!" cheered Tony. Steve gave him a questioning face and Tony just told him that he'd explain later.

The team sprinted back to the hotel to get changed into their best formal wear before getting honoured by the President for saving New York and halting the HYDRA infiltration of a government organization. It was a joyous and sombre occasion.

Once back at the hotel, the team went back to their rooms to get changed into their pyjamas. Everyone was going to meet Steve and Tony back at their place for some games. Once everyone arrived, Tony put Carter down to sleep in his room so that he wouldn't be woken up by the combined crazy off all the Avengers.

"I say we play some "Never have I Ever". Shots anyone?" asked Clint as he got up to get some vodka.

"None for me." Said Tony.

"Really Stark? Finally leave that party past behind?" joked Natasha

"Not a drop since the battle." Said Tony proudly. "So, I'll just stick to water thanks." There were some close calls with all the nightmares and anxiety attacks, but Tony had been sober since that last drink with Loki.

Steve patted his back while Natasha passed out shot glasses and Clint explained the rules to Steve and Thor. Clint was way over explaining the game, so Natasha took out his hearing aids and covered his mouth in retaliation. Unfortunately, that did not deter Clint. He just began signing to the group. Tony was the only other person who understood sign language, so he just signed at Clint to shut up.

"I'm sorry, but what was that there?" asked Steve

"Oh yeah, sorry. Cap, I'm deaf. Now you know." said Steve as he put his purple hearing aids back in. "Ok, let's start the game!"

"I'll start. Never have I ever…kissed someone of the same sex." Said Natasha. Tony, Clint, and surprisingly Steve took a drink.

"Wait! Steve, spill! Who was it?" asked a surprised Clint.

"My friend Bucky when we were kids. Ok next!" he blushed.

The game continued in a similar manner with everyone getting to know each other just a little bit more as they got drunker. They laughed at each other's jokes and they began to feel more like a team the more time they spent together. Maybe someday they could become like a family.

The next two weeks were about the same. Lots of driving across the country. It was calmer now that they had the car arrangements sorted out. They did make pit stops along the way so that Steve and Thor could take in the scenery and all the crazy landmarks between destinations. Los Angeles was nice. The team took an afternoon to enjoy the beach. The team enjoyed swimming in the ocean while Tony stayed on shore to play in the sand with Carter. Steve was starting to wonder if Tony had a fear of water. He filed that under the list of things that he would have to ask Tony later.

Huston was Tony's least favourite place. The press conference was just teaming with evangelical bigots who kept telling Tony that he would burn in hell. The rest of the team found this concerning, but Tony just brushed it off. He'd been dealing with this crap since he was in his teens. You learn not to show how much it hurts. The team tried so hard not to let their anger show, but it was Steve who finally broke when a reporter asked him that is he was supposed to be the "embodiment of America" how he could work with a "fucking faggot!". Steve lost his shit. He verbally tore that reporter a new one. Tony was glad Steve was on his side. His level of scary was right up there with Pepper and Natasha.

The last stop on their press tour was Miami. It was a more chill event. Most of the big questions had been answered at earlier events so the conference only ended up being an hour long before they got to return to their hotel. The day before they were to drive back they went to the beach again. This time, Steve sat with Tony and Carter while the rest of their little group of idiots played chicken with the ocean.

"You don't like water, do you?" He asked Tony. Tony gave him a look before turning his attention back to Carter who was trying to eat the sand.

"Used to. Not so much after Afghanistan."

"What exactly happened there? There is nothing in your file about it, not even medical reports."

"Here's not the place. I'll tell you later Rogers." And that was the end of that. The next day they began their drive back to the tower.

"You know what, since we're all here and listening I think now's the time to lay down some house rules." Said Tony over the radio.

"Since when have you been responsible Stark?"

"Since I had a kid." He snarked "So… rule one: The Tower is a peanut free facility."

"WHAT!?" shouted Clint over the radio. "Who's the one idiot who's allergic to peanuts!?"

"That would be me Birdbrain" spoke Tony. "I can't use an EpiPen with the Arc Reactor, so we just band it from the building. Also, because I have the allergy, it's highly likely that Carter has it too. I would appreciate it if you didn't kill my son." Clint just sighed over the radio but didn't argue further. "In the kitchen, there is a board next to the fridge. If you've got any food allergies write 'em down there. Alright, rule two: you mess with my kid, I mess with you. And rule three: before any of you can get access to mine or Bruce's labs, you need to pas a WHIMIS test. It's the law so no access without passing the test with a 90% or higher. Rule four: try not to kill each other. Any questions?"

"Yes, friend Anthony, what is this WHIMIS test you speak of?

Once the team arrived back at the tower everyone went to bed. It had been a long drive and all everyone wanted to do was sleep. The next morning the team were scattered throughout the tower. Tony was in the kitchen while Carter was sleeping in his room. Natasha was also there nursing a cup of tea. There was a small stack of mail on the table that Tony was going through. He was sorting it into different piles so that each recipient could receive their mail without having to dig through the pile.

Tony was opening the letters in his pile. He really wasn't paying too much attention to them. Most were bills anyway. But, one, in particular, caught his eye. It was a letter from the Nobel Committee! Maybe they wanted him to present or something. Tony opened the letter and began to read it. He read the first paragraph and his jaw dropped. He took a deep breath in and put the letter on the counter.

"Ok. This is cool. I'm cool. This is huge. Uh…" Tony was trying so hard to keep calm. He was taking deep breathes but his hands were shaking as they gripped the counter.

"Alright, what's going on?" asked Natasha as she grabbed the letter. She gave it a quick read over before looking at Tony with a shocked face. "Wow. This is… Wow!" Tony just nodded. "JARVIS, can you call everyone up here. I think Stark is broken?" Tony just kept his hands on the counter, trying to breathe as the rest of the team walked into the kitchen.

"What's going on with Shell Head over there? Asked Clint

"Read this." Natasha handed the group the letter. Steve was just beginning to read it out loud to the group when…

"HOLY MOTHERFUCKING SHIT!" exclaimed Tony. "HOW IS THIS MY LIFE?!" Tony slid down the wall and laid down on the floor. Everyone else just looked at him. Alright, the great Tony Stark had officially lost his fucking marbles.

"Keep reading." Pressed Natasha. So, Steve took hold of the letter and began to read it out loud for the benefit of the group.

"Dear Dr. Anthony Edward Stark: It is with great pleasure for those of us at the Nobel Committee to inform you that you have been nominated for the… Nobel Prize in CHEMISTRY for your discovery and work with Yinsinium and its uses in green energy! HOLY COW TONY!" Everyone just stared at the man who was currently losing his shit laughing on the floor of the kitchen. Bruce was the first to break, rushing over to his friend to pull him into a crushing hug, the two laughing on the floor. The rest of the team quickly followed. Thor had no idea what a Nobel Prize was, but he guessed it was a pretty big deal and he congratulated his friend none the less. That night was filled with festivity. Happy and Pepper came over to join in the fun and Tony was even able to video call Rhodey to tell him the news. There was a lot of screaming from both men.

It was close to Halloween when all the excitement began to die down. Carter was still too young to do anything Halloween related so Tony wasn't overly worried about celebrating. If the team wanted to do something, they could do it on their own. After the press tour, Tony was feeling mentally exhausted. Dealing with the public and the media was never one of Tony's favourite activities. Some would argue that he was the worlds best actor because whenever Tony Stark had to deal with unpleasant media interactions or being in the spotlight, he put up a very convincing mask. Only the people who knew him very well (Rhodey, Pepper, and Happy) were able to see through it. The rest of the Avengers were getting there slowly. Very slowly. The only person who was even close to getting anything was Steve but that was because of circumstance. It also really didn't help that Tony had a little crush on the guy. But seriously, who could fault him? Screw Captain America, he was Captain Perfect. Steve's body was human perfection, not sore on the eyes to look at. Not only that, but he was kind and caring to a fault. All he wanted to do was help others and protect those who deserved it. (Because bullies don't deserve to be protected.)

One sunny afternoon at the tail end of October, Tony decided that it was time to introduce his bots to Carter. That morning while Carter was still asleep, Tony had deep-cleaned the lab in the first time since forever and made sure to give his bots a very stern talking too so that they would know how to handle the baby. Once Carter woke up, Tony dressed him in a cute little AC/DC onesie and took him down to his lab.

"Look alive boys." The bots all left their charging stations and rolled over to where Tony was standing with Carter in his arms. "DUM-E, U, Butterfingers, this is your little brother Carter." The bots beeped and whirled around, excited to meet the newest member of their family. It was cute. DUM-E was clicking his claw in excitement, U was spinning around, and Butterfingers was looking the infant over with his camera. Carter just babbled and smiled at his older "brothers". All in all, it was a good morning. Now if only it would stay that way.

It was just after lunch when Steve joined him in the living room. Tony was playing with Carter on the floor for tummy time and the rest of the Avengers were out costume shopping. Steve wasn't really into the whole Halloween thing, so he stayed behind.

"I think it's time we have this talk you've been putting off." Said Steve from behind the sofa. Tony didn't even look up from his son who was reaching for a bright red block.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"This whole Afghanistan thing. You keep saying you'll tell me later. Well, now it's later. The rest of the team is out, so why not."

"Look, Rogers, you already have way too much dirt on me after the whole Winter Soldier fiasco. I'm not sure I want to give up all my deep dark secrets."

Honestly, Steve just wanted to help his friend and be there for him. He could see right through Tony's mask. He could see the years of hurt. He could see the physical scars on the man's body. He noticed how Tony would flinch ever so subtly if anyone got close to his chest of if he had to go near large containers of water. He saw how Tony didn't like to sleep and how he would wake up screaming on the odd occasion. Steve couldn't help if he didn't know what was wrong. So maybe he could share some secrets of his own. The building blocks for any type of relationship start with honesty right. It was like the four core values of the YMCA, honesty, respect, responsibility, and caring. Good morals to live by.

"After the Battle of New York, I was diagnosed with PTSD and depression." Blurted out, Steve. Tony picked Carter up and sat down on the couch. He motioned for Steve to join him and the two sat there with a sleepy Carter in Tony's arms.

"I've got PTSD, anxiety, and depressive tendencies. I get it."

"Mine's from the war. I've been told it's common, but you, you've never been to war so how…?" Steve trailed off. He didn't want to be insensitive about Tony's pain. Tony was a very blunt man, so he just had to fight fire with fire.

"It's from the battle and Afghanistan," Tony whispered as he subconsciously tightened his grip on the now sleeping Carter.

"Tony… what happened?"

"I know you know how SI used to make weapons. You worked with Howard, so I know you know. Well, back in 2009 I was doing a weapons demonstration in Afghanistan for the military. We were driving back to base when our convoy was attacked. One of my bombs exploded right next to me, sliced my chest up with shrapnel. Next thing I know I'm screaming in pain while having open heart surgery performed on me in some cave. I was awake for most of it. Eventually, my body shut down. When I woke up there was an electromagnet attached to a used car battery embedded in my chest. I just remember being so confused and in pain."

Tony continued to tell the story. He told Steve about the waterboarding, how the Ten Rings wanted him to build them the Jericho Missile. How he miniaturized the arc reactor in a cave. He told Steve about Yinsin and how he saved his life. How he escaped and took out as many of his weapons as he could in the process. How he wandered the desert for hours before Rhodey found him. How he shut down weapons production as soon as he got back. He told him about Stane dealing his weapons under the table to terrorists who just wanted to hurt innocent people. How he had to kill the person who he once looked up to. How he had to deal with the palladium poisoning and all that shit associated with that. It was a lot for Steve to take in. Tony had put up with way too much shit in his life. From the abuse he suffered from Howard to facing death in some cave in Afghanistan, it was a miracle he was even alive.

"Is that where the scars on your arm came from? The cave?" asked a concerned Steve

"Um no…" Tony looked down at his son. "They're from something I really don't feel comfortable talking about. What about you? You know my baggage so spill." Spat Tony. It was clear that having to say what happened to him had upset and agitated the man, so Steve relented. If anyone could understand all the shit he's seen in the war, it was Tony. So, Steve told him the horrific war storied that he hadn't even told Peggy. How he saw men cut down on the battlefield. How he had seen so many innocent women and children die because he wasn't fast enough. How many truly evil things he had seen HYDRA do, including human experimentation. Tony listened to every word. He owed it to his friend to listen. At the end of all the horrific things they had all seen, Steve and Tony now thought that they shared a better understanding of each other. Unfortunately, the whole conversation left a rather sombre mood in the air, so Tony put on the French movie Amelie to lighten the mood a bit. The light humour was refreshing and by the end of the movie the two men shared an understanding. What happens on the living room couch, stays on the couch.

* * *

I hope you all liked the chapter. I know tones of stuff happened at it was a lot to take in. I just needed to get some of the more finicky stuff out of the way. Also, solving the civil war problem step 2 complete! Make the Avengers work with the UN before all the problems start. Well, I hope you enjoyed. Until next time -Shadows.


	7. Merry Christmas

Enjoy the new chapter. You'll see that this work is now part of a series. There's going to be some spinoff chapters that will be written into the stories there. I'll be sure to link those in when they go up. For now, please enjoy!

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October turned to November and the team fell into an easy rhythm. They had game and movie nights for team bonding. Someone was always cooking or working on something on the common floor. Everyone was helping Tony with Carter in the hopes that the genius would sleep and eat. Steve and Tony were becoming closer. Often the two could be found in Tony's lab when Carter was sleeping. Tony would either be working on something for the Avengers or something for SI. Steve could be found on the couch with his sketchbook. Sometimes Bruce would join them. Clint was barred from the lab after he tried to sneak in through the vents.

Thanksgiving was an affair. Clint was the only one not present. He told the group he was visiting family. Tony knew it wasn't a lie, it was just stretching the truth a bit. As for everyone else, it was the best Thanksgiving that any of them had had in a while. This was Thor's first Thanksgiving ever so that was a big deal. Natasha had said that she celebrated with Clint a few times so this was nothing new for her. It had been a few years since Bruce last had a proper Thanksgiving, same with Steve, and both men were excited to celebrate with their new family. Tony was mildly conflicted. Growing up, holidays were just more opportunities for his father to drag him to different functions to schmooze with different businessmen. If Tony was luck, Jarvis would sneak Tony up some food while he was exiled to his room when he was little. As he got older, Tony was expected to attend these events. So, Tony had mixed feeling about this. He wanted Carter to have memories about family gatherings that weren't craptastic, but Tony really didn't want to be there. Too many bad memories of nights spent hungry and alone to be happy. Fortunately, the night went well for everyone. Thor told them all stories of battles he had fought in, and the group managed to get some MIT stories out of Tony. He kept it pretty tame, mostly telling stories of lab accidents and that one time he fell asleep in Rhodey's bed because his was covered in blueprints. All in all, it was a good night filled with merriment and, for the first time in a very long time, the night was filled with family.

The week after, Bruce accompanied Tony to the Nobel Prize Awards. Tony ended up winning the award for chemistry. If just being nominated for the award was enough to send the genius rolling on the floor, this sent him into tears. Tony had this whole speech prepared that pretty much had to be scrapped because it took all his strength to keep himself from crying. After the ceremony, he and Bruce video called the Avengers back in New York to tell them the news. Thor declared that they needed to have a celebration upon their return.

December carried on and Tony was met with the task of buying the team and his friends Christmas presents. Carter was easy. He was a baby so anything soft and bright was right up his alley. Rhodey, Pepper, and Happy were all easy, he'd know them for years. The rest of the team, however, was a different story. He was honestly just thinking of gifting them new armour and weapon upgrades, but those were things they all knew about so that was out the window. Man, this was hard. Tony spent most of his free time with Carter trying to figure everything out. He sat on the bed in his room and just spoke out loud to the baby. Maybe he just needed a second opinion.

It was a week before Christmas and Tony and Steve were in the living room wrapping presents for the rest of the team before they left. Thor was going to be with his "Lady Jane", Bruce was staying at the tower, and Clint and Tasha were spending the holiday with Clint's family. Of course, the others didn't know this. Tony was hell-bent on keeping Barton's secret a secret. Tony had bought some gifts for Clint's kids though. Clint had promised that he would get to meet them soon, after all his wife, Laura, had offered to take care of Carter when the went out on missions that lasted more than 3 days. So, Steve and Tony were sitting on the floor wrapping gifts. Carter was on Tony's lap playing with the wrapping paper and babbling away.

"So, what were the holidays like for you growing up Cap?" asked Tony. It seemed like one of those times where small talk was appropriate.

"It was always a special time." Smiled Steve, "Even if I was sick my mom always made it fun. We never had a lot of money, so we had to make do. Dinner was nice. Most of the time my mom and Bucky's would pool together everything and make a really nice dinner for all us kids. I remember one year, I was really lucky, and I got this bright blue toy truck. It was brand new, not used like my other toys. That was a good year." Steve couldn't keep the smile off his face as he talked. Tony smiled too. It was nice to see Steve so happy. He knew that he missed everything from the past, Tony understood that, but he was also glad that Steve was making an effort to integrate himself into the future.

"So, Tony, what was Christmas like for you growing up?" The smile slid off Tony's face. "I realize that Howard isn't going to ever win father of the year, but you must have done something."

Tony took a breath. Steve and he had been getting along very well as of late. Steve was the only person other than Rhodey who knew anything about his childhood. Steve, in turn, had shared his worries and fears with him. Again, it didn't hurt that this little crush of his wasn't going away.

"It wasn't horrible. My mom was Catholic, and Howard was raised Jewish but was an Atheist. The holidays were a bit confusing growing up. Often, I stayed home with Ana while mom and Howard were at charity functions. She and Jarvis celebrated Hanukkah, so I did to. Christmas was just another event for Howard to make business deals at. Mom tried her best to make it special. I didn't have many toys growing up. Once Howard saw that I was smart he put a stop to all things fun. Mom, Aunt Peggy, and the Jarvis's often snuck me little toys for Christmas and my Birthday. I had this little hatch under my bed that I built to keep them in. This was really the one time of year that I got to eat dinner at the table with everyone else. I remember having to stay silent the whole time, but man was the food good." Tony smiled sadly down at his son. Carter looked up at him and smiled a sloppy grin as he clapped his hands and babbled at his daddy. "So, I'm going to make sure that Carter has nothing but good memories of different holidays. Right Bambino?" he tickles his son and watches him giggle. Steve smiles and they go back to wrapping.

Once they were done they added the gifts to each Avengers designated pile and Tony put Carter down for a nap. Tony and Steve decided to take a break from everything and continue to make a dent in Steve's list of movies he had to watch, so that meant Die Hard. It's technically a Christmas movie so it totally counts as seasonally appropriate, right? The credits were rolling when someone spoke from behind the couch.

"Seriously Tones? Die Hard?" Tony spun around and practically vaulted over the couch.

"Rhodey!" He tackled the man and the two shared a tight hug. They hadn't seen each other in months because Rhodey was doing a tour. They talked yes but it was nice to have him home. The two stood there hugging while Steve continued to sit awkwardly on the couch.

"I didn't think you'd be coming home yet." Said, Tony, as he spoke into his friend's shoulder.

"Didn't want to miss Christmas, Mama would kill me if I'm not home." Rhodey took a step back and brought Tony into a noogie. "Man, I still can't believe that my little brother had a kid! Where is he by the way?"

"Down for his afternoon nap." He looked back at Steve. "I guess I should do the good host thing. Rhodey this is Steve. Steve, this is Rhodey. Alright, let's go get my kid." Rhodey waved at Steve as he was dragged off by Tony. Steve made his way to his room. May as well take this opportunity to get his present for Tony wrapped.

"So, this is little Carter?" spoke Rhodey as he held the infant in his arms. Tony nodded and continued to take pictures with his phone.

"We should video call Mama. She'll want to see him. Even if she can't make it for the holidays she should get to see her "grandson"." Said Tony as he sat down next to his friend. The two were extremely close. When they met back at MIT, Tony was this scrawny little thing who lied about every bump and bruise on his body. Rhodey, on the other hand, was much bigger and healthier looking than his roommate. Very quickly they became as good as brothers. Mama Rhodes always made sure that the boys had food, and after every break, Rhodey made sure that Tony's cuts and burns were taken care of. They really were brothers in all but blood.

"Hi, Mama!" Rhodey and Tony spoke to the tablet. Mama Rhodes was on the other end sitting in her living room. She looked delighted to see her boys.

"My boys! How have you been? Anthony, you look far to thin. You need to eat more." Tony just smiled

"We're good Mama. Carter just keeps me up most nights."

"Yes! Anthony dear, I want to see my grandbaby!" Rhodey adjusted the tablet so that Mama Rhodes could see the sleepy baby curled up in Rhodey's arms. She was immediately smitten with the baby and promised to send him a present or two for Christmas. Nobody was going to argue with her. The wrath of Mama Rhodes wasn't something that anyone would even wish on their enemies. Tony did most of the talking. Rhodey was going home later and could say his hello's then, but because Tony was staying in the tower with Steve and Bruce, this was his time to talk. The call lasted a good hour before they hung up. Rhodey stayed for dinner with the team where he was formally introduced to the team. The air was light-hearted, and Tony was smiling. Really smiling, not the fake smile he gave to the press, but a real smile. That unfortunately disappeared after Rhodey left. Tony was having a rough time lately. His nightmares were horrible, and he was having trouble eating and sleeping. Tony was trying so hard to keep things under control and Steve picked up on that. Steve couldn't help feeling protective of his friend. Although maybe his feelings for Tony were a little bit more than platonic.

Christmas morning at the tower started… slow. With Carter being too little to understand what was going on and three adults who cherished every minute of sleep they could get, nobody was doing anything Christmassy until 10 am. Once everyone had sufficient amounts of caffeine in their systems they gathered in the living room to open up their presents. Carter, in true infant fashion, didn't care at all about all the soft colourful toys that he had gotten. Carters full interest was on the wrapping paper. It was too cute, and Tony got so many pictures of his sweet little boy.

Once Carter was having the time of his life in a pile of wrapping paper, the adults took it in turns to open their presents. Tony had gotten Bruce a big comfy sweater for after he Hulks out and a package of some of the finest teas to help him relax in the lab. Bruce was extremely grateful. Tony had always treated him and the Hulk without prejudice and he always made sure that everyone on the team had whatever they needed. Tony never once complained about any of it and brushed off any and all compliments. It was sad, and Bruce and Steve wanted to make sure that Tony knew how much he was appreciated.

Steve was next to open his presents. Tony had gotten him a whole bunch of art surprise. Honestly, most people completely forgot that Steve had gone to art school. Tony was one of the few that remembered that little fact. Steve was so happy he gave Tony a big bear hug. Tony was just happy that Steve was happy, so he let himself be touched, and if there was a little bit of a blush on his cheeks than no one commented on it.

Once it was Tony's turn, Steve took Carter into his lap so that Tony could have his hands free. Tony was still not 100% comfortable with others holding Carter. Really, the only people who he trusted at the moment to care for his son were Pepper (she was technically his mom and she was one of Tony's best friends), Clint (Because he knows what he's doing), Rhodey (for obvious reasons), and Steve. All the presents Tony got were amazing. He really wasn't expecting much due to his past experiences. To Tony, this was probably the best Christmas he'd ever had. He had his son, his new Avenger friends, really this was the first holiday in a long time that he had a family. It was nice.

Once Tony began tearing the paper off his gifts like an eager 8-year-old, he couldn't keep the smile off his face. Rhodey had kept up their weird tradition and had gotten him an ugly science-themed sweater. Tony had sent him one as well. The two had been doing this since Tony was 16. It was their thing. Pepper had gotten him a new watch so that he "could be on time for board meetings every once in a while!". Thor had gotten him these Asgardian gloves to wear under his Iron Man suit. They would help repel Thor's lightning blast if he ever got hit on accident. They fit snuggly and Thor had even left him a note saying that they were very durable, flame resistant, and could take a blast if needed. Needless to say, Thor's gift was really really cool. Clint and Natasha had both gotten him things Carter would need as he got older. Natasha had even given him a not saying that she was "sorry for stabbing Tony with a needle and not telling him what was in it." This really helped Tony in rebuilding his trust with her. He laughed at the note. Steve just looked concerned. Bruce's gift was hilarious. He had gotten Tony a book called "Robotics for Dummies". Tony cracked up and gave his science bro a high five.

Steve's gift was last. He seemed a little worried about giving it to Tony. Steve had thought long and hard about what to give Tony. What do you give a man who hasn't felt appreciated? What do you give a man who, underneath all the masks, is hurting inside? Really, what do you get a man who has everything and nothing? Eventually, he thought of the perfect gift. So, Steve sat on the floor with Carter in his lap, anxiously waiting for Tony to unwrap his gift. Once Tony unwrapped the gift, his reaction was instantaneous. In Tony's hands was a black photo album with a silver A on the front. It was the new Avengers logo. Other than that, the cover was plain. Once Tony opened the album, his eyes lit up and there was a smile on his face. Inside were pictures of the team, mostly candid shots done by JARVIS with a few newsprints in there for good measure. There were some pictures of them at the beach in LA. There were pictures from Thanksgiving and movie nights. There were pictures of each of the Avengers with Carter. There were pages and pages of pictures of Tony and Carter. There was one of the two in the living room during "tummy time". Tony had this huge smile on his face as he lay down on the ground next to his son. There was one of Tony holding a sleeping Carter in his arms while he talked to the team in the kitchen. Steve even made sure to have some of the pictures from Carter's birth. When Tony finished flipping through the album, he stood up and gave Steve a hug. Tony very rarely touched people. If he did It was normally little things like a handshake or a pat on the shoulder. For Steve to be on the receiving end of a Tony Stark hug, well, it was Christmas after all.

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Keep an eye out for the story "A Nobel Accomplishment". It's what went down at the Nobel Prize Awards. Happy reading -Shadows


	8. We go marching on

Hey guys, So here's the new chapter. There's a bit of a time jump between events in this one to keep the ball rolling. No Infinity War spoilers here! I can't wait to see the movie tomorrow! Enjoy!

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Time had passed, and winter turned to spring. There was less snow on the ground, the birds were singing, it was warm and sunny. Unfortunately, Tony got to enjoy none of this. Carter was teething. Tony was exhausted and so so so tired of the crying. The same went for the other inhabitants of the tower. Steve was especially tired because he spent most of his time with Tony and Carter. Clint tried his best to give Tony some tips and tricks on how to deal with it. The tips helped a bit, but poor Carter wasn't his normal happy baby self. That was until Tony discovered putting the teething ring in the freezer. Blessed silence and a happy baby made for a very happy Tony. He still couldn't get over how much Carter had grown in the past few months. He was now sitting up on his own and starting to crawl. Soon his little boy would be walking and talking. His little baby boy wasn't as little as he used to be. Tony would always love his son, but he still wished that he could stay this little forever.

Because this whole teething situation had left the occupants of the tower a little high-strung, they all had to deal with a few more breakdowns in their life, and everyone dealt with them differently. Bruce spent more time in the lab so that he wouldn't get aggravated. Natasha and Clint spent time in the gym, so did Thor. Steve spent more time drawing and sticking close to Tony. Steve wasn't sure if he would ever say it out loud, but he was falling for his friend. Tony was such a radiant person once you got to know him. He genuinely cared about people and poured his heart into everything he did. He was proving himself to be an amazing father. Steve was also enamoured with his son Carter. No kid was allowed to be that cute. It sort of made Steve long for a family of his own. He loved the Avengers, sure. They were his new family, but he still wondered what it would be like waking up next to someone (Tony) he loved or to have a child call him Papa. Either way, Steve dealt with the stress by sticking next to Tony who was doing what Tony does best in stressful situations, avoiding it and repressing his emotions. Unfortunately, when Tony represses his emotions for too long, it leads to a breakdown.

When Tony had breakdowns, he tended to sequester himself in his room or his lab. Steve often worried when Tony was having a panic attack. Steve was often the one to find his friend sitting under the desk in his lab. Steve had long since learned what to do when Tony was having a panic attack. It helped the fact that both had feelings for each other. It was just that neither said anything about it. Tony was slowly getting better with touch too. He shared high fives with Clint and Thor after one of the three made a bad pun. He and Bruce now had a criminally complicated "science bro" handshake. And Tony and Steve, let's just say they there were a few lingering touches here and there.

Game night was starting to become a thing along with movie night. The team were gathered in the living room in a circle. Little Carter was sitting on Tony's lap, playing with his favourite stuffed blue rabbit that Steve had given him. They were all curled up playing a game of Cards Against Humanity. Thor and Steve had picked up the rules easy enough. Honestly, Tony was surprised. Steve, for being raised in the very conservative 30's, had an amazingly dirty mind. Turn after turn, Steve played just the dirtiest cards every time without fail.

"Ok… My turn!" said, Tony, as he picked up a black card. "I'm sorry professor but I couldn't complete my homework because of…" Steve immediately slapped down a card and burst of laughing, his right hand coming up to grab his chest. Tony took one look at his friend and began to laugh as well.

"Why do you do that?" asked Tony

"Do what?" giggled Steve

"Every time you find something really funny you grab your boob."

"What?" The rest of the team began to laugh, and Steve just laughed along with them. It took a few minutes with all the laughing to get all their cards in, but boy was it worth the wait.

"I'm sorry professor but I couldn't complete my homework because of… sexy pillow fights. Alright, can't go wrong with that. I couldn't complete my homework because of… Bees? Weird. I couldn't complete my homework because of… friction. Hmm. Couldn't complete my homework because of… Uranus. Ok that one belongs to Bruce. I'm sorry professor but I couldn't complete my homework because of…The biggest blackest dick!" Steve continued his uncontrollable laughter from earlier and everyone looked at him. "Steven!" exclaimed Tony. The team just laughed along.

After a little while, Tony had to put Carter to bed. Carter always looked so peaceful when he slept. His little face was placid, and Tony could have stayed watching his son forever. Eventually Tony was able to tear himself away from his baby to go back and join the group. They were all curled up in the living room in their usual spots, Thor on the red beanbag chair, Clint in his little pillow nest on the floor, Natasha on one of the armchairs with Bruce in the one opposite her, and Tony and Steve taking up residence on the couch. Tonight, was the night where they were starting on the Harry Potter movies. Steve and Thor had just finished reading the 7th book and the rest of the team was excited to have them watch the movies. Once everyone was settled and their plethora of snacks laid out, the first movie began. They were just at the bit where Harry and Ron save Hermione from the troll when Tony had an epiphany. He took a Dorito out of one of the bags laying around and held it up in front of Steve.

"You look like a Dorito." The team looked at Tony, stayed silent for a few moments, then nodded in agreement.

"He kinda does." Remarked Bruce

"He has the right shoulder to hip ratio." Commented Natasha, her hand waving to illustrate her point.

"Guys, I do not look like a Dorito!" The team snickered. This was when Thor grabbed a Dorito from the bag and popped it in his mouth.

"You are delicious by the way." The team lost their shit laughing and the movie was almost forgotten.

Time passed, and March turned to April. It rained a few days here and there but for the most part, it was sunny and warm out. Tony wanted to take Carter out to the park on the really nice days. Unfortunately, he knew what it was like to grow up in the spotlight and he wanted to keep Carter from it for the most part. So, to fix this issue, Tony made a little jungle gym on his personal balcony. The media, at this point, was aware that Tony had a son. That had come out during their press tour. There was no shortage of questions about his kid. Where was the mother? Was he the product of a one-night stand? Honestly, it was annoying. Tony was quick to shut down their questions and refused to publish pictures. He wanted to wait until Carter could decide for himself whether or not he wanted pictures of himself taken and put on the internet.

Tony's sleepless nights were not getting any better. Even with Carter sleeping through the night most nights, Tony was up with his own demons. He usually used that time to get work done for either SI or the team down in his lab. Maybe if he worked hard enough his brain would forget everything and just let him sleep, right? So, Tony spent most nights down in the lab tinkering, but, on the rare occasion that he wasn't in the lab, Tony could be found in the living room. Most of the time he just sat there reflecting on his life while eating a sandwich. Tony's eating habits had been getting better since Steve came into the picture and made sure he ate. You had to really be paying attention to be able to count his ribs now. Tony was mostly alone on these nights, the others preferring the solidarity of their rooms.

One night, however, there was a deviation from the norm. Tony was curled up on the couch staring at the wall, contemplating his life while his arc reactor cast a soft blue light around the dark room.

"I guess you're up too?" Tony turned his head and saw Steve. He was so out of it that he didn't even hear his friend approaching.

"Can't sleep." Mumbled Tony.

"Join the club." Steve sat down next to his friend and they looked at each other. Steve's blue eyes held a bit of a panic to them, a nightmare perhaps. While Tony's deep brown eyes held so much pain and sadness. Steve got up again and came back with one of the ice packs from the freezer and applied it to Tony's chest.

"Thanks." The genius mumbled. "Why are you up? You get cranky when you're up late." Steve just smiled and plopped down next to Tony, just a little bit closer than was strictly necessary. They ended up talking for a little bit before deciding to put on some old Bugs Bunny cartoons. It wasn't long before Steve had fallen asleep, his head on Tony's lap. Now normally, Tony would have gotten up and gone to his lab. This was such an intimate moment. It made him feel mildly uncomfortable. This was his friend. He shouldn't feel like all he wanted to do was run his hands through Steve's hair. Like he wanted to stay in this moment forever. It felt oddly domestic and comfy. Tony blushed as his mind began to wander. He thought of waking up and seeing Steve every morning. Of kissing him after a battle. Of seeing Steve play with Carter as his son got older. Alright, maybe Tony just needed to remove himself from the situation. Get his head back in order. Unfortunately, the choice was taken away from Tony, as he too fell asleep, his head landing on Steve's hip. If anyone found them the next morning, they didn't bring it up.

When May 4th rolled around it was filled with mixed feelings. It was the first anniversary of the Battle of New York. Early in the afternoon, the Avengers were forced to attend a ceremony with the mayor and senator. Tony had to plaster on his best media smile to show the crowd because his emotions were running wild. They were expected to dress nice and shake hands. They had to be composed and polite, schmoozing it up with all the rich socialites. Tony, on the other hand, just wanted to stay home with his son. He almost died a year ago. Almost didn't get to meet his precious baby boy. So, forgive him if he was a little out of it at the moment. The ceremony turned into a full-blown gala that, of course, the Avengers had to attend. Tony really wasn't feeling it and had sequestered himself in the corner with a glass of water in a fancy glass.

"It's not like you to hide in a corner at a gala." Tony looked up and saw Steve dressed to the nines and looking hot as hell. Tony lowered his gaze to keep the blush off his face.

"Not really in the mood."

"Tony, I could hear you thinking from all the way across the ballroom. What's going on in that head of yours?" Tony sighed but relented. Tony really did trust Steve at this point. They had shared many things with each other in the past year, including feelings. They were honestly like an old married couple, just, without the romance. (Although both parties very much wanted the romance.)

"A year ago, I almost died. It just seems a little bit inappropriate to be having a party. And coming from me that's something." Steve smiled sadly and put a hand on Tony's shoulder. "I almost didn't get to meet my kid. So, yeah, bit of a conflicting emotional cocktail."

Steve looked the other man over. Tony definitely looked uncomfortable. To be fair so did Steve. It was a rough day full of weird memories and a night that was most likely going to be filled with nightmares.

"Wanna play hooky and ditch this place?" Tony raised his eyebrows in surprise. Did Steve just suggest they ditch the gala? To be fair all Tony wanted to do was go home and be with Carter. And if he wasn't the only Avenger leaving he wouldn't look so much like a crazy lunatic.

"Why not. I'm so over this whole gala thing." And with that, the two heroes left the gala to head home. Once they got back Tony left to grab Carter and Steve went to go prepare some snacks and hot chocolate. They both ended up curled up on the couch together with a happy baby boy shared between them. It was nice to have another person with a similar shared experience. Tony and Steve ended up marathoning Disney movies and talking. Clearly, the attraction between the two was there, if only they would get their act together and just talk it out.

Tony was notoriously bad at remembering important dates with the exception of Carter and Steve's birthdays. (It was hilarious that the Star-Spangled Man with a Plan's birthday just happened to fall on Independence Day.) So, when May 29th rolled around, Tony woke up and got Carter ready just like it was any other day. What broke the routine was Steve waiting for him in the hall with a to-go cup of coffee, a blueberry muffin, and Carter's stroller and diaper bag.

"What's this about?" questioned Tony was he looked Steve over.

"We're going out. Go grab your coat." And with that Steve all but dragged Tony and his son to the garage. Happy was waiting in one of the less flashy cars. Obviously, Steve had a plan and Tony was just supposed to go along with it. Happy ended up dropping them off at the Natural History Museum. Tony had been wanting to take Steve here for a while. When Steve had last been he had only really looked at the exhibit on Captain America and the Howling Commandos. Tony really wanted to show Steve all the science stuff. Science really was Tony's happy place. He dragged Steve around the museum explaining all the science. Carter spent the whole outing looking at his daddy and Steve. It was almost like he was listening, even if he wasn't even a year old yet. Steve and Tony spent the day smiling and talking. Tony was so engrossed in explaining things that he missed the looks Steve was giving him. Looks filled with love, and longing, and happiness.

The trio left the museum around 5 pm. Carter slept in his car seat while Tony and Steve talked in the backseat. Once they got back to the tower, Tony was about to hit the button for his personal floor when Steve stopped him and hit the button for the common floor. What was going on? Tony grabbed a now awake Carter out of his carrier as they walked out of the elevator and down the hall that leads to the living room. Once they rounded the corner Tony was met with a room filled with streamers and cheesy balloons.

"Happy Birthday Tony!" His friends shouted. The whole team was there along with, Pepper, Rhodey, even Jane and Darcey, who Tony had met a few times. Tony stood there blinking for a few seconds before…

"Is it my birthday?" Natasha just started to laugh.

"Alright Barton, you owe me 20 bucks!" Clint slapped a 20 into Natasha's waiting hand as the occupants of the room laughed.

"Yes, it's your birthday Tony. Though honestly, we're not surprised that you forgot." Said, Steve, as he slung his arm over Tony's shoulder. Tony had a smile on his face as he looked around the room at all his friends.

"Well, I guess it's dada's birthday, hey Bambino!" Tony tickled his son and watched as the infant's face lit up with giggles.

"DADA!" giggles Carter as he patted his fathers face. Tony stood there wide-eyed for a moment before cheering and spinning his son around. Everyone else in the room looked just as surprised. Of course, Carter would be just as dramatic as his father and say his first word in this kind of situation. Tony just smiled and kissed his son's forehead. Honestly Tony could say that this was the best birthday ever. He had his friends, he had his family, he was happy.

Spring turned into summer and Tony began preparing for Carter's first birthday. It wasn't going to be a big affair, just the Avengers due to Pepper being in Malibu and Rhodey was back overseas. So, it was a really small event, but that didn't stop Tony from going crazy to prepare.

It was the night before Carter's birthday when Tony secluded himself in the kitchen. Tony was an excellent cook no doubt about it. But, the question was, could be bake.

No.

The answer is no.

So, when Steve walked into the kitchen at 4 in the morning to see Tony covered in flour and red icing, he really wasn't that surprised. Steve knew of Tony's intention to make a cake for Carter's birthday. He knew that Tony could follow a recipe. But, Steve also knew that the kitchen would look just like Tony's lab. Like a literal bomb went off. So again, Steve wasn't surprised by the fact that the kitchen could be classified as a war zone, nor by the fact that Tony had red icing in his hair. He just smiled and helped clean the mess and laughed with his friend. Steve let his touches linger just a little bit longer than necessary. He had fallen hard for Tony. Steve wanted to wake up every day with Tony in his arms. He wanted to share kisses after battles, cuddles during movie night. Hell, he even wanted to help raise Carter. Tony was an amazing dad and Steve respected everything Tony did to make sure his son was happy and healthy, but Steve wanted to help too. He wanted Carter to come to him with homework when he was older, he wanted to see Carter grow up into a fine young man. Steve kind of wanted to have Carter call him papa too. So yes, Steve had it bad. He wanted to do something, he just had to wait for the right moment to do it.

Once morning rolled around the kitchen was clean and Tony went to go fetch the birthday boy. It took a while for the rest of the team to make their way down for breakfast. It was Steve's turn to cook so naturally, he prepared breakfast burritos. After breakfast, the team went their separate ways with a promise to return to the common floor by 4 so that Carter could open his presents and inevitably be more interested in the wrapping paper than the toy. Tony spent the afternoon playing with his son while Steve accompanied them. It was Steve's favourite thing to see Tony and Carter smiling and laughing.

Once the team was together that had Carter "open" his gifts. Tony spent the time smiling, taking pictures, and keeping Carter from eating the wrapping paper. The team ate dinner together and then it was time for the smash cake. It was complete and utter destruction. Carter was covered head to toe in red icing. Tony couldn't help but smile at his son. Carter just looked so happy. All in all, it was a good day. Carter was happy so therefore Tony was happy. Tony wound never regret becoming a dad. It was single-handedly the best decision he'd ever made in his life. Yes, Tony had his own fears and demons to work through, but for once, he had people he could count on. People who he could call his family.

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So here's the scoop on the story. Yes, this will follow the plot of some of the movies with obvious differences. This thankfully means that there won't be any Infinity War spoilers for a while. I hope you've enjoyed the chapter. -Shadows


	9. Stronger with you

Hello friends, This chapter is based on IM3 so a little bit of the dialogue and plot is taken from that. Anyway, enjoy!

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Tony's life was falling apart. In the 3 weeks since Carter's birthday, there had been 4 terrorist attacks on US soil, all by the Ten Rings. The same people that Stane had used to kidnap and torture Tony years ago. After Tony had had a severe panic attack while watching the news with the team, the news of the attacks was now on a need to know basis in the tower. Steve spent most of his time with Tony now. His friend was so high strung and feeling so horrible. Tony wasn't eating or sleeping normally like he had been, and the suits. There where so many new Iron Man suits. Before, Tony had many in production, but now he was on the Mark 42. All the progress that Tony had made on getting better was gone.

It was an attack so close to where Tony used to live in Malibu that really drove the situation home. The Avenger had to find this guy, The Mandarin, and shut him down. Tony ran scans. So many scans. Tony had an entire scene of the last explosion laid out in a hologram on the floor of his lab. He was taking this personally.

3 days ago, Tony had been on the phone with Happy who was now head of security for SI. He had called because some guy named Aldrich Killian was showing Pepper his big brain. Tony just brushed it off. Pepper was a beautiful, intelligent woman. Naturally, people were going to hit on her. Pepper was strong and could take care of herself, so, Tony blew off Happy's concerns. What he didn't anticipate was Happy trying to tail the guy to get information. Now Happy was in a coma in the hospital and Tony felt helpless.

The day Tony's life was about to change forever started out as any normal day would. Steve was able to drag him out of bed. While breakfast was made, Tony got Carter ready for the day. Steve was going out of his way to make Tony feel better. It had gotten to the point where Steve was Tony's safe place. He had even started sleeping in Tony's room because Tony was only able to get the few hours he got of sleep a night when he was feeling safe. Tony was pulling on his last reserves to stay strong and functional. After eating breakfast, the entire team made there way down to Tony's lab to dissect the holograms.

"There's no shrapnel. No bomb residue. There's nothing." Whispered Natasha

"It's like there was never a bomb there at all." Said, Clint, as he scratched his cheek. Tony stood up from his seat to put Carter in his playpen. He began pacing back and forth around the lab, the gears in his brain turning.

"When is a bomb not a bomb?" asked Tony as he stopped his pacing and looked at the centre of the hologram.

"I'm sorry, WHAT?" asked Steve

"When is a bomb not a bomb?" the team stared back. "When it's organic material. JARVIS, can you bring up similar heat signatures in the last 12 months." JARVIS did, and Tony began eliminating heat signatures.

"That one. Rosehill Tennessee. Heat signature is identical. JARVIS, draw up a flight plan."

"Tony, where are you going with this?" asked Steve. "That one wasn't even a Mandarin attack."

"Yes, but, I think that this one was the test. Look, it's identical in every way. If we could just," Suddenly there was a loud booming noise and the alarm to assemble went off.

"JARVIS get Hill up here now to run Intel and to watch Carter." Yelled Tony as the team quickly ran to get their suits on. Once Maria Hill got there to watch Carter, Tony summoned the Mark 42 armour and had JARVIS scan for the centre of the blast. Tony relayed this information to the team and they rushed out to the site. When they got there, all that remained was a crater and people bleeding on the street. The team quickly got to the people most in need while they waited for EMS. They had all taken a first responder's first aid course so that if there was trouble on the field, the team could help.

While the rest of the team help treat the injured civilians, Tony canvased the area for any signs of the Mandarin. Tony was the only one who could theoretically survive the explosions caused by the attacks due to his suit. What Tony didn't expect when he turned into an alleyway near the blast site, was to see a young woman standing there.

"This area isn't safe. You should get out of here." Said, Tony

"That would defeat the purpose of the mission." Her eyes lit up like they were made of fire as she brought both hands up in a salute. "Hail HYDRA!"

Tony was instantly blasted into the air by the force of the explosion. He was knocked unconscious instantly and JARVIS took over. The other Avengers saw the explosion and went running. Everything in that ally was turned to ash. There was no sign of Tony.

When Tony came to he was still in the air and JARVIS had an alarm blaring.

"Alright J, kill the alarm."

"Sir, that is the alarm saying that the suit's power had dropped below 4%." Tony took a good look at the HUD and began screaming as he crash landed into a forest. He rolled over and pull off the face plate and looked up at the sky. It was night time. How long was he out for?

"Uh, where are we? Upstate?"

"We are 5 miles outside Rosehill Tennessee."

"WHY! JARVIS, not my idea. What are we doing here? This is thousands of miles away. I've got to get back to Carter. The team probably thinks I'm dead. Steve is probably having a fit over this."

"I prepared a flight plan. This was the location."

"Who asked you? Open the suit." The suit opened up and Tony was exposed to the brisk night air while wearing only his under-suit armour. At least he had remembered to put on the gloves Thor had given him for Christmas, so his hands weren't freezing. Tony stepped out of the suit as JARVIS began shutting down.

"JARVIS. JARVIS! Don't leave me, buddy." Alright, so Tony was now alone in the middle of butt fuck Tennessee. Great. Now what. Well, for starters, Tony needed to find a phone. He needed to call the team, so they knew where he was. So, Tony started walking. He single-handedly dragged the Iron Man armour to a gas station 5 miles away from where he landed. Never let it be said that Tony wasn't strong. He had to be. Once he got there, Tony got into a phone booth and dialled Steve's number.

Steve was a mess. A literal mess. Tony was gone. One minute he was there, the next… Steve didn't want to think. Tony was his friend. One he cared about very much. One who deserved the world. One who had a son who was going to wonder where daddy was. Steve fell to his knees.

"Tony." He whispered and began to cry.

First responders were now on the scene. Natasha went to tell them what they knew while the grieving team dragged a crying Steve back to the tower. Thor set Steve down on the living room couch while Clint went to retrieve Carter. He deposited the toddler in Steve's arms and watched as Steve cuddled the child. The whole team ended up in the living room, watching mindless cartoons and trying to figure out what just happened. They stayed there till nightfall, whispering to each other. All scared to confront the fact that Tony Stark was most likely dead. It was dark out, the team was exhausted, and everyone hurt. Steve was about to get up when his phone rang. An unknown number on a secured line. Who could it be?

"This is Captain Steve Rogers." He spoke into the phone, trying to keep the grief from his voice.

"Capcicle! Glad you picked up!"

"Tony?" asked Steve, tears returning to his eyes. The rest of the team looked at him in anticipation.

"The one and only." Steve could feel Tony's smirk on the other end.

"I thought you were dead!" Steve cried. "Where are you? What happened?"

"I'm in Rosehill. JARVIS took over the suit after the explosion. Look, I need you guys to get here as soon as you can. I have information to give you about the attacks."

"We'll be right there Tony. I'm glad you alright." Steve smiled

"Alright may not be the best word right now. Look, just get here so we can stop this." The call ended, and the team scrambled to get ready. Steve made sure Carter was safe with Agent Hill before joining the team on the quinjet.

Once they landed it was a mad dash to find Tony. Steve was the first one to spot him. Tony was sitting under a tree with the armour next to him. Tony met his eyes and Steve started sprinting to his friend. Steve enveloped Tony in a tight hug and buried his face in his hair.

"Anthony Stark you're in so much trouble." Steve sobbed. He took a step back to take a look at the damage to Tony's face. There was a nasty gash on the bridge of his nose that was still bleeding as well as an assortment of cuts on Tony's forehead and jaw. Steve hugged him again before they dragged the broken armour back to the jet to regroup with the rest of the team.

"So, what's the information you couldn't tell us over the phone." Asked Steve with an arm still around Tony. He was scared that if he let go, Tony would disappear.

"This whole thing is crazy. It's all orchestrated by HYDRA. When I went into the ally there was this woman there. She was dressed in civilian clothes, nothing on her that looked like an explosive. She said, "Hail HYDRA" and she just combusted. They must be using this Mandarin guy as a cover. It looks like they've engineered people to become walking bioweapons. Human experimentation and all that."

"What do we need to do?" asked Clint

"Split into teams of two. Look at the stuff around here." Said, Tony

"It's your call, Tony. You know the most, you make the call." Said, Steve, as he reached down and took Tony's hand. Tony fought off a blush as he thought of the best way to tackle this.

"Alright, Bruce, you and Clint should head back to the New York site and collect as much data and samples as you can." They nodded. "Nat, you take Thor and try to find as much intel on HYDRA as you can. Your access code should let you into JARVIS's secret folder." Thor looked proud that he was trusted with Intel. "And Steve, you're with me. We're going to check out the blast site here and talk to the townspeople. Everyone make sure you have the long-range coms in. Code is 0112." The team nodded and got on the jet with the exception of Tony and Steve who had remembered to grab a first aid kit before the team left.

"You're not taking the Iron Man suit." Asked Steve as the quinjet took off.

"It's busted up good. Don't worry I'll be fine." He responded flippantly. The duo walked through the town, Steve still holding Tony's hand, not wanting to let go. Tony wasn't about to argue with the taller man. Besides, it felt nice. They stopped in a small park so that Steve could tend to the injuries to Tony's face. He was so gentle and Tony all but melted under Steve's touch.

"Thank you for calling as soon as you could." Said, Steve, as he placed a butterfly bandage on Tony's jaw.

"I trusted you guys to find me. It's nothing."

"I was so scared when the explosion happened. When we got to the site and you weren't there… Tony, I thought you'd died. I don't know what I'd do if you died." Steve had tears in his eyes again and Tony brought Steve's head to his chest, right by the arc reactor.

"I'm alive. I'm alright. It's gonna take a lot more than a small explosion to kill me." Steve giggled and wrapped his hands around Tony's middle in a hug. They stayed like that for a few moments before they continued their way to the first explosion site.

The site was a crater surrounded by pictures of the victims. It was sombre and a bit morbid, but it was their best shot to get information. They took a good look around before they saw a kid approaching. He looked around 10 years old.

"Can we help you, young man?" asked Steve as the child approached them. The duo looked mostly inconspicuous. Tony was in his under suit with his gloves while Steve was in jeans and a hoodie. Their biggest give-away was that Steve had his shield.

"Are you the Avengers? Are you here to help?"

"Yes, we are. What's your name son?"

"It's Harley."

"Why are you out here alone Harley? Where are your parents?" Tony had switched into dad mode as he knelt down to talk to the kid.

"My mom's working at the diner and my dad left for 7-11 to get scratchers. I guess he won cuz that was 6 years ago." Tony put his hand on the kid's shoulder while Steve walked closer.

"Harley, do you know anything about this at all?" asked Tony patiently. The kid walked over to the crater and sat down with Tony and Steve beside him.

"I guess this guy named Chad Davis used to live around here. He won a bunch of medals in the army. One day folks said he went crazy and made a bomb. Then he blew himself up, right here."

"Did Chad have any family? Anyone we can talk to?" asked Steve.

"His mom's always at the bar nowadays. I don't think I've ever seen her leave." Steve and Tony shared a worried look. Such a young kid should have no idea that Ms. Davis spent all her time in the bar. The only way he could know this was if Harley himself had spent time in the bar. That just wasn't ok.

"Thank you, Harley, for giving us the information. It's very helpful." Harley smiled at Tony's praise. "Harley, why are you out on your own this late at night?"

"My little sister's asleep and I got lonely. I thought maybe if I went out I could find something to do."

"Here, how about we walk you back home. It's not safe to be out alone this late at night." Harley nodded and got up followed by Steve and Tony. On the walk back, Harley asked Tony all sorts of science questions that Tony was more than happy to answer. They entered Harley's house through the garage and the kid excitedly showed Tony his homemade potato gun. It was impressive, considering what the kid had to work with. Tony vowed to send Harley some cool science stuff once this whole mess was over. Steve and Tony said their good bye's and thank you's before making the trek back to the bar.

Tony wasn't all to keen on entering the bar. Too many horrible memories of his alcoholic past. Never the less, he had to push through. When they entered Steve did a quick scan of the room. He spotted a blonde woman sitting alone in the back corner of the bar. In her hand was a half-empty glass of whiskey and some military dog tags. She had to be it. Steve and Tony walked over to her and got her attention.

"Mind if we sit down?" asked Steve like the true gentleman he was.

"It's a free country." she snarked

"Mind if we talk?" asked Tony as they sat down

"Where would you like to start?" It was almost like she knew exactly what they wanted.

"Before we begin, I'd just like to apologize for your loss. I can't imagine what it must be like to lose a child." Started Tony.

"Look. I've brought your damn file. Take it and go." Tony and Steve looked at the file. "Everything you want to know is in here. Whatever was in here he wanted no part of it."

"Clearly your waiting for someone else."

Tony and Steve took a moment to look inside the file. It was full of science jargon that Steve didn't understand but Tony did.

"Mrs. Davis, I can assure you, your son did not kill himself. I guarantee you. He didn't kill anyone. Someone used him." Said, Tony,

"What?"

"As a weapon." Mrs. Davis took a shocked breath in whispered to the two.

"You're not the person who called me after all, are you?"

"No. That would be me." Tony and Steve jumped as a hand was smacked down on the table. Behind them stood a woman with choppy brown hair and an imposing posture. Her eyes held a fire to them, and not in the "woman in charge" kind of way. Almost like she wasn't completely human. It took her all of 5 seconds to have Tony flopped on the table while she handcuffed him. Luckily, Tony was able to grab the dog tags off the table before his other hand was grabbed and he was thrown to the floor.

"What's going on here?" demanded Steve

"An arrest."

"On whose authority?"

"Homeland security." She brandished an obviously fake badge.

"Mam, I do believe that we outrank you." Said, Steve, as he pulled their special UN Avengers badge from his wallet. While Steve and the scary lady argued, Tony motioned for Mrs. Davis to hide the file. That information in there would be key to the Avengers taking down this HYDRA cell. It was then when Tony saw her hand begin to glow red hot around the very much metal badge.

"Steven!" Tony shouted out in warning. Luckily, Steve understood and was able to raise his shield in time to take the hit. Steve clocked the agent in the face with the shield and they took the opportunity to book it outside. When they got outside they were shot at by another agent with a similar glowing hot hue. Steve raised his shield to block the shots and they crashed through the window of a vacant diner. After sharing a look, Steve went back outside to fight the male agent while Tony slid behind the counter of the diner. He was quickly face to face with the female agent and they began wrestling for control. Tony used this to his advantage. Flipping over the counter, Tony caught the chain of the handcuffs around her neck. As soon as she began to heat up, Tony was free. He landed on the floor and pushed a large jug of canola oil across the room, leaving behind a slippery trail. He kicked the still red hot remains of the handcuffs along the trail catching it on fire.

With a wall of fire separating Tony from the agent, he used the opportunity to sneak into the kitchen. In the far corner, Tony spotted a gas cylinder. A highly combustible gas cylinder. Tony turned it up all the way, and just as the female agent was walking through the flames, he put the metal dog tags in the microwave and set the timer.

"You know what, I've dated hotter chicks than you."

"Is that all you've got. A cheap trick and a cheesy one-liner."

"Sweetheart that could be the name of my autobiography." And with that Tony ran for it. He quickly used the freezer door as a shield as a massive explosion raced through the kitchen. Tony raced outside to look for Steve. What he didn't expect was the male agent to heat up the water tower so that it would fall over. Tony ran as fast as he could but was still engulfed in water when the tower fell. When Tony came to, his leg was trapped under a large piece of steel and his lungs were screaming in pain. Steve was close by, locked in combat with the male agent. Steve was quick on his feet and was able to deal a fatal blow to the HYDRA agent's chest. Tony looked on in awe before beginning to hack his lungs up in pain. He was shivering from the cold water and he could feel the tell-tale signs of a panic attack coming on. Steve was quick to help Tony free his trapped leg before picking him up and walking away from the wrecked water tower.

"Tony, Tony! It's ok. It's alright. I've got you. You're not in Afghanistan. You're with me. Anthony, you're safe." Tony was beginning to calm down. He felt safe there in Steve's arms. He felt protected. However, the burning feeling in his lungs was taking precedence over everything else. Tony began coughing again and a few stray tears rolled down his cheeks. Steve seemed to get the message as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a dark red inhaler. He held it to Tony's lips and he pushed down on the plunger. The effect was instant was Tony's laboured breath lessened and he began to relax. Steve continued to hold Tony in his lap, calming him down while also inspecting his friend's new injuries. There were circular burns on both his wrists from the handcuffs. There was a large bruise forming on Tony's left ankle. It was rapidly swelling, most likely sprained. Tony was cradling his left arm to his chest. Blood was seeping through a large gash and Tony looked exhausted.

"Tony, we need to get back to the tower. You need medical help." Said, Steve, as he held Tony close.

"No, we need to get that file and to get to Miami. Steve, we're so close."

"Tony, you're hurt."

"I've been through worse." Steve just held him closer. It felt like it was just the two of them there. That nothing else mattered. Tony was exhausted and nuzzled up against Steve's chest. Steve, on impulse, leaned down to kiss his head.

"Alright. We'll head to Miami. I'll grab the file and we'll steal one of the HYDRA agent's cars." Tony nodded and lost the remaining tension he was carrying. Steve helped him up and supported him as they walked towards one of the abandoned cars. Steve lay Tony down in the back seat and he ran off to grab the file as well as a new first aid kit due to the losing the other one. Steve hot wired the car and high-tailed it out of town.

"Where'd you learn to steal a car?" croaked Tony from the back seat.

"The military."

The duo drove for fifteen minutes before Steve pulled over so that he could tend to Tony's wounds. The gash on his arm took precedence. Tony was half asleep as Steve cleaned and bandaged the wound. It wasn't deep enough to need stitches, but it was long and still bleeding. Steve applied a clean dressing then moved on to Tony's wrists. The burns were only first degree, so Steve only had to apply burn cream and a loose dressing. By the time Steve had put a tensor bandage on Tony's ankle, he was fast asleep. Steve took that time to update the team on what had happened. They expressed their concern, but Steve was able to put their fears to rest. Steve drove for a few hours before pulling off into a wooded area, climbing into the back seat next to Tony, and falling asleep.

The next day, the two superheroes continued on their way to Miami. Tony managed to get his hands on a tablet and got JARVIS up and running again. Thanks to the file, the knew that HYDRA had partnered with a biotech company called AIM, run by Aldrich Killian, the same man who had been hitting on Pepper. The footage was disturbing. People were being turned into bombs with the promise that all their ailments would be healed. They had just entered Florida when Tony had a thought.

"We need to stop at a hardware store."

"Why?"

"I need weapons. Best way to solve that is to make some."

The two stopped off in Orlando and split up. Steve went to go get them some new clothes while Tony raided the nearest Home Hardware for supplies. The met back up and booked a hotel room so that Tony could get to work. Steve watched in amazement as Tony worked. He created these amazing weapons out of scraps. That just solidified Steve's argument that Tony's power did not come from the suit, but from his brain. Before they left for the base, Steve made sure to let the other Avengers know where they were, just so they could all be on standby. Bruce and Clint hadn't found much at the New York explosion site and were on route to Steve and Tony's location to help out. Thor and Natasha, on the other hand, had found a whole slew of active HYDRA bases all over the world. The two were putting together a list so that they could start taking them down. The situation in Miami seemed under control, so Natasha and Thor were staying behind at the tower.

Once they arrived at the mansion that the Mandarin was supposedly hiding in, Tony took the lead. Who knew that the normally flashy and eccentric man was so good at stealth. He quickly brought down the agents guarding the doors with homemade guns, bombs, and tasers. Steve just followed him and kept watch of Tony's 6.

Once they got into the mansion things looked completely different. The décor was dusty and stained. It looked like the aftermath of a really bad rager. Some rooms looked like someone tried to shoot a really really messed up orgy porno in there. Honestly, if Steve hadn't fought in the war and seen messier and more disgusting thing, he would have thrown up. They continued to clear rooms as they moved to the upper floors. Steve was amazed by how Tony took absolute control of the situation. Honestly, it was a huge turn on. Steve was beginning to get tired of keeping his feelings for Tony a secret. They'd been dancing around each other for months now and Steve was getting tired of it. This was it. After this mission, he was going to tell Tony how he felt.

They made their way into a bedroom with two scantily clad women on the bed. They were obviously either intoxicated or high off their asses and were no help at all. Tony and Steve were very confused about what the hell was going on here. Did they infiltrate the wrong mansion? Was HYDRA running a whore house? Well, they were about to get their answer as a man looking exactly like the Mandarin drunkenly walked out of the adjacent bathroom babbling about fortune cookies of all things.

"Hey! Stop right there!" demanded Tony as he raised his gun. Steve stood there and looked intimidating.

"Alright, alright. Take it easy! Take whatever you want. Those weapons are fake. They didn't trust me with the real ones." Said the Mandarin.

"Ok, you're not him. Where's the real Mandarin? WHERE IS HE!?" shouted Tony

"Ok, Ok. He's here but he's not. It's complicated."

"Then Uncomplicate it." Demanded Steve. From there they learned that the Mandarin was actually an actor named Trevor Slattery who was paid in drugs and women by AIM and HYDRA to be the face of their new little evil plot. This was ridiculous. This was some sort of twisted joke.

"What the hell do we do now?" asked a very agitated Tony.

"We keep looking. Check the rest of the house. Wait for Clint and Bruce to get here." Answered Steve. He was just as angry but was doing a better job hiding it. It was then when a petite, attractive brunette woman ran into the room looking straight at Tony.

"I had a feeling that this was all you." She said.

"Who the hell are you?" demanded Tony.

"You don't remember do you."

"Look, I don't associate with supervillain scum lady so get explaining." Tony snarled

"Switzerland, new year's, 1999. You really don't remember."

"I was piss drunk. It's a miracle I remember anything before 2009. Now, if you can't tell, Cap and I here are about to make this place go boom so GET TALKING!" shouted Tony. He was at the end of his rope.

"Alright. Fine. My name is Maya Hanson. I'm a botanist employed with AIM." From there she went into this long speech about her Extremis formula and how she originally made it to help the injured. She partnered with AIM to get the funding. Once her boss Aldrich Killian had partnered with HYDRA after their fall from SHIELD, the whole project got turned into this whole exploding mass murder thing.

"This is all my fault." Maya finished looking down at her feet. Steve and Tony shared a look before They made a split-second decision. They tied her and Trevor up, so they couldn't escape and made their way to the basement of the building. In that time Clint had joined them while Bruce remained on the jet waiting for news if they needed the Hulk. When they got to the basement it was exactly like they expected. Holding cells, medical equipment everywhere, blood on the floors. Typical bad guy lair.

Waiting for them in a dimly lit side room was none other than Killian himself. Steve raised his shield while Clint raised his bow. Tony just stood in the middle of the two.

"Well, would you look at that. The famous Tony Stark finally has the time to grace me with his presence." Spoke Killian

"I don't believe we've met before." Spoke Tony. There was a fire in his eyes. This was very quickly becoming much more than just a simple revenge mission for HYDRA hurting Happy. It was clear now that AIM had a bit of a personal vendetta against him.

"You were very drunk that night. I'm not surprised."

"Let me guess. New Year's 1999."

"Right as always Dr. Stark."

"Cut the crap. What do you want." Interjected Clint. The archer was not a very patient man at the moment. Well, neither were Steve and Tony for that matter.

"Well you see, it all started…"

"Alright, stop it with the villain monologue. You're HYDRA, we don't like HYDRA. You're going down bastard!" Shouted Tony as he approached Killian. Steve tried to grab his hand to pull him back, but Tony was too fast.

"Well if it's a fight you're looking for then so be it. I will have my revenge today. I've waited 13 years for this." And with that Killian burst into flames and began to shoot fire at the three Avengers. Clint was quick to dodge while Steve ran in front of Tony and raised his shield to protect them. It was a full out fight to the death. Clint was shooting arrow after arrow. Each one disappearing into flame before hitting its target. Steve had his shield bouncing off the wall trying to hit Killian as well as trying to create a diversion. Tony was trying to scrounge up materials to make a small repulsor.

The room was quickly getting unbearably hot due to the amount of smoke and fire in the room. Clint looked like he was ready to faint, Tony was coughing up a lung, and Steve was even starting to feel the effects. They needed to move the fight and fast.

"GOT IT!" yelled Tony and he finished a crude repulsor and attached it to the arc reactor.

"Let's move!" yelled Steve. They moved the fight to the upper floors and into the backyard. They could hear cop cars outside keeping civilians away from the fight. Bruce had called them as soon as they had landed. Tony was running as fast as he could to keep up with the team, but with his sprained ankle and reduced lung capacity, he didn't make it far enough. Killian caught up and was able to pull him into a choke hold.

"Today just seems to be my lucky day. First Tony Stark just walks into my trap and he doesn't have his armour. Man, life is good!" exclaimed Killian as his hand closed around Tony's throat. Steve and Clint saw what was going on and formulated a plan. Clint rushed up a tree to get a decent perch. That way he could see the largest area possible. Steve put down his shield and began to approach Killian. Tony struggled to get away, but every time he tried to use his hands to pry Killian off his person, he got a small burn. His left arm looked like shit.

"Killian, you don't have to do this. We can talk this out." Cautioned Steve as he slowly got closer to Killian.

"What's there to talk about? I'm finally getting my revenge." Steve tried his best not to look alarmed as Killian hoisted Tony up into the air by his throat. Tony frantically mouthed at Steve to "keep him talking" and Steve nodded back.

"Why do you even want revenge? What the fuck do you want?" demanded Steve. His voice sounded dangerous. Tony was in enough pain already. He didn't need this. He didn't need more pain and nightmares. Steve was furious.

"Well you see, back in 1999, he said that he would take the time to talk to me about my newest project. He never came. I spent the night on some stupid rooftop as the clock struck midnight and the new millennia began. This bitch blew me off."

"Son, that is the pettiest reason to get revenge ever. You trusted the word of a drunk man. Wow, you must be stupid." While Steve kept him talking, Tony used what was left of his strength to adjust the repulsor on his hand. He aimed at Killian's face and shot. There was just enough force behind it to get Killian to lose his grip. Tony fell to the ground and he scrambled over to Steve. Killian looked completely enraged. Luckily Clint chose that moment to begin shooting at the man, providing Steve and Tony with the time needed to form a plan.

"We need a plan, Tony. This is bad. We need a plan."

"I have a plan. You're just not going to like it." Stated Tony as he took off his shirt and began walking towards Killian.

"Tony, what are you doing? Tony!" He saw Tony reach for his arc reactor and flip a tiny little switch on the side. A switch that only Steve knew about because they trusted each other. A switch that would turn the reactor into a very powerful weapon while breaking it in the process. The switch clicked, and a bright blue light filled the yard as Killian was turned to dust. Clint and Steve had to shield their eyes from the intensity of the light. Once it was over all that remained was a pile of ash and Tony, splayed out on the ground, not moving.

"Anthony!" yelled Steve as he and Clint ran over to their friend. Steve knelt down next to Tony and listened for a heartbeat, a breath, anything to tell him that Tony was alive. There was nothing.

"Clint! Go get Bruce NOW!" cried Steve. Clint started running back to the quinjet while Steve started CPR. "Please Tony. Please. You can't die on us. Please. We need you. Carter needs you. I need you God-damnit! I love you! Please don't die!" Steve was full on crying as he started his third round of CPR. It was then that Tony took in a deep, raspy breath and opened his eyes.

"Ugh, everything hurts." He moaned. "Did we win?" Steve nodded and pulled Tony into his arms to give him a hug.

"You idiot! I thought I'd lost you. Don't you ever do that to me again." Sobbed Steve as he pulled Tony closer. Tony was starting to feel sleepy, probably because the arc reactor was broken. Luckily Bruce and Clint had just arrived with a new one. Steve took out the old one and helped Tony Put in the new reactor. His heart jumpstarted, and Tony felt a new surge of energy.

"Let's get you onto the jet so you can rest." Said, Bruce, as they all got to their feet. Tony was supported by Steve as they made their way slowly to the jet. Tony insisted that he was fine now, so Clint and Bruce walked ahead to get the jet started. It was then that Steve pulled Tony behind the building shielding their view from passersby. Tony was beginning to wonder what the fuck was going on when Steve grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him into a searing kiss.

Tony

Was

Stunned.

It took him a few seconds for his brain to catch up to what was happening. Steve Rogers, Captain America, was kissing him. The man he had had a crush on for the longest time was kissing him. The only logical thing to do was to kiss back. Steve's arms dropped from Tony's shoulders to snake around his back and his neck, pulling the smaller man closer. Tony buried his hands in the super soldier's shirt. This had to be a dream, right? The moment was over much to soon as Tony had to come up for air. Steve brought him into a hug.

"I love you. Don't you ever try to die on me again you ass." Whispered Steve into Tony's hair.

"You love me?" asked Tony. Steve pulled away to look Tony in the eye.

"Tony, I have been in love with you since that whole debacle with Project Insight. How could I not? You're funny. You're kind. You have the biggest heart I've ever seen. You are so much more than you seem. You are so much more then the mask you show the public. I love you, Anthony."

"I don't get it." Said, Tony, as he looked down. He wanted so badly for this to be true. That Steve loved him back.

"I wish you could see the man I see, Tony."

"How can you love me? I'm a mess. I'm horrible with emotion. I have a laundry list of character defects. My mental health is shit. How can you love me?" whispered Tony

"Because of everything I said before. There is so much more to you than just what people see at face value. I love you, problems and all." And with that Steve pulled Tony into another kiss. This one was much softer, full of love and affection. When Tony returned the kiss, Steve smiled and held Tony closer.

"You taste like coconut… and metal!" said Steve as Tony laughed and tapped the arc reactor.

"If we're going to do this you have to understand that Carter comes first." Said, Tony, as he rested his head on Steve's shoulder.

"Carter will always come first. That kid's something special Anthony."

"You keep calling me Anthony." Said, Tony, as his hand fell into Steve's

"Is that a problem?" asked a worried Steve

"No. I kinda like it coming from you." Smiled Tony.

The two made their way to the quinjet and were greeted by the concerned faces of Clint and Bruce. Steve help Tony down onto one of the benches while Clint got the jet air born. Steve sat next to Tony while Bruce looked over Tony's injuries. The cut on his arm was healing nicely and the burns Tony had acquired over the last two days weren't too serious. The sprain, however, was going to leave the genius benched for two weeks so that it could heal properly. Bruce left to go take his own seat while Steve and Tony stayed together on the bench. They sat in comfortable silence for a good 15 minutes before that was broken by Clint.

"So, are you two an item now? Cuz, if so Nat owes me 100$."

"Tell Nat she owes you 100$ laughed Tony as he leaned into Steve. Steve just groaned but he trusted his family not to tease them too much about this.

When they landed back at the tower they were greeted by Natasha and Thor who looked about as exhausted as the rest of them. Natasha had Carter in her arms and quickly passed the toddler off to Tony who smiled and kissed his son on the head.

"Nat, you owe me 100$!" exclaimed Clint.

"What?"

"Steve and Tony are dating now. Pay up!"

"Well, I wasn't expecting that. Guess I'll have to stop trying to set you up with agent Carter, Steve." Smiled Natasha

"Wait! Carter, as in Sharon Carter. Natasha, you tried to set Steve up with my cousin?!" exclaimed Tony. Natasha just smirked and let the subject drop.

"Congratulation friends Steven and Anthony. You will make a fine couple!" stated Thor as the heroes made their way inside to the kitchen. Natasha and Thor had prepared dinner for them and that was greatly appreciated. Every last scrap was eaten by the hungry heroes. They all ended up in the living room after dinner to watch a movie. Tony and Steve took their usual place on the couch. The two men cuddled up with Carter as the enjoyed the Looney Toons cartoon playing on the screen.

When it was time to put Carter to bed, Steve followed. Together they got him bathed and changed into little yellow footy pyjamas. Tony sang a song in Italian, and Carter was out like a light.

"I don't really feel like going back to join the others." Said, Tony

"Me neither. I kinda feel like doing something else."

"And what would that be Steven?" cooed Tony

"Well, it involves lots of kissing, and maybe a bed." Blushed Steve

"Well, lead the way, Captain Handsome." Said, Tony, as they walked down the hall to Tony's room. Steve gave Tony a quick kiss before pulling the other into the room and closed the door.

* * *

Well, would you look at that? Steve and Tony just had their first kiss. This was super fun to write. They're just so cute together. Keep a lookout for the NSFW ending to this chapter where we get to see some sexy times. Now that we've got their relationship started, we'll get to see Steve becoming another dad to little Carter. Superfamily for the win. See you next chapter -Shadows


	10. Break the silence

Dear readers. This chapter comes with some heavy warnings attached to it. This chapter deals with self-harm and sexual assault. If any of this is distressing to you please Stop reading when you see TWTWTWTW repeatedly. I will post a short synopsis at the end of the chapter. If I need to change some of the tags for this fic PLEASE let me know. Read at your own discretion. The cuteness will continue next chapter.

* * *

It was now the beginning of September and Steve and Tony had been in a happy relationship for a month now. They were the ultimate power couple. A better dynamic duo than Batman and Robin. Steve became more of a constant in helping care for Carter. Most mornings Steve could be seen in the kitchen making breakfast for Carter and preparing some coffee for a sleepy Tony. It was bliss.

Tony and Steve began to share almost everything with each other. A bed, hoodies, insecurities. They trusted each other. So, when Carter started walking, they shared their fear and joy together. Carter was such a sweet little angel. At almost 14 months Carter was quickly picking up on new words every day, but his favourites were dada, no, and play. Carter also hated peas with a passion. The kid wasn't a picky eater at all. In fact, the kid would eat whatever Tony and Steve would make him. Except for peas. Carter would throw a fit whenever he was confronted with them. Clint thought it was cute. Tony thought that it was silly. Unfortunately, neither Tony nor Steve were prepared to wage war with a toddler so, peas stayed off the table.

All in all, Carter was a very happy toddler. He had a father who adored him, a "step-dad" who loved him even if they weren't related, and so many aunts and uncles who spoiled the poor kid. Now that Carter was walking he was quickly getting into trouble. One time, Clint had turned his back for a second and Carter had managed to climb on top of the kitchen counter. How he did it was beyond him, but there was no doubt that Carter was Tony's kid.

"Carter! How did you get up there, baby boy?" questioned Tony as he looked at his son sitting on top of the refrigerator. Carter just giggled.

"Dada! I up!"

"Yes, I can see that. Now it's time to get down." Exasperated Tony.

"No!"

"Ugh, JARVIS, could you let Steve know that I need him in the kitchen ASAP." Groaned Tony while keeping his eyes on his child who felt the need to laugh at his father's dilemma.

When Steve walked into the kitchen, he was expecting to see just a general mess, not Carter sitting on top of the fridge giggling down at his father.

"Carter! How did you get up there?!" asked Steve as he looked between the toddler and Tony.

"I have no idea. I set him on the floor for a second so that I could prepare his snack. I'm just as clueless as you are." Said, Tony, as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Ok jellybean, it's time to come down." Said Steve as he reached up and plucked the giggling child off the top of the fridge. Carter just let it happen and calmed down once he was back in his dad's arms. Steve gave Carter a kiss on his little chubby cheeks and gave Tony a peck on the lips. Man, they were so disgustingly in love.

But, if they were so in love, why was Tony having such a hard time accepting their intimacy? You see, despite growing up rich, Tony's life was far from easy. He had a father who abused him. He was always the youngest kid in his class. He was bullied and shipped off to boarding school and never really learned how to build proper relationships. He was broken down and hurt in unimaginable ways when he was still a teenager. Honestly if it wasn't for Rhodey, Tony Stark would not be standing here today.

Tony and Steve shared everything. Tony knew Steve's deepest fears. He knew that Steve still had very deep mental scars from the war and growing up in the depression. They trusted each other. That's why Tony knew he would be safe telling Steve his biggest secret. He knew he could trust Steve. It was just a matter of actually telling him.

Tony let the problem stew for a few weeks before he felt that he absolutely had to confront the issue. Steve was starting to notice that Tony was more distant than normal. He knew something was up, but he didn't want to press the issue. Steve would wait for Tony to come to him.

"Steven?" asked Tony one afternoon. He looked downcast and empty inside like something was eating at him.

"Hey Love, what's up?" said Steve trying to keep the air light for Tony's sake.

"Do you think that uh… that after we put Carter to bed we could uh… we could talk?" Tony could not look Steve in the eye.

"Of course, Love." Smiled Steve as he reached out and rested his hand on Tony's hip. He noticed that Tony flinched a bit at the contact and that worried Steve. Had he done something wrong? Tony normally didn't flinch when Steve touched him nowadays. Steve removed his hand to respect Tony's boundary's and Tony was thankful. Steve was a proper gentleman.

The day went on as normal. It was Natasha's turn to cook dinner, so they had some Russian dish. Dinner was full of jokes and a mashed potato covered Carter. After giving him a bath and changing him into some red footy pyjamas, Carter was out like a light. Normally at this point, Tony and Steve would rejoin the other Avengers for some sort of movie or game, or Tony would retire to his lab for a few hours to get some work done. Not this night. No, instead of joining the team, Tony dragged Steve back to their room and into a little blanket nest that he had made by the window. They sat there for a few minutes just looking out at the skyline. It was now or never. Tony knew he had to speak out now or he never would and his whole relationship would be ruined.

TWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTW

"Remember back after the whole Project Insight thing, when you told me that the Winter Soldier killed my mom?" Whispered Tony. Steve looked at him and nodded. "You uh… you asked about the scars on my arm. I knew you were panicking about them. I don't want to keep this a secret from you Steve. I trust you. I trust you so damn much it scares me. Steven." He looked him dead in the eye. "I'm trusting you with my biggest secret. The only other person who knows is Rhodey. Steven, Honey, please. Do I have your word that you'll keep this a secret?"

"You have my word, Anthony. I promise to keep this a secret unless I think you're going to kill yourself." Tony looked at Steve for a second and nodded. Tony leaned his head on Steve's shoulder, rolled up the sleeve of his left arm showing off his scars and placed his arm in Steve's lap before taking a deep breath.

"These are scars from a suicide attempt because when I was fifteen I was raped by a man I thought was my boyfriend."

Steve wasn't entirely sure how to react to this news. How could someone do something so horrible to his sweet Tony? Not only that, it was done by someone who Tony thought he could trust. Steve wanted so badly to let himself be angry over this. He wanted to make the bastard who did this suffer for what he did. He wanted them to suffer. On the other hand, Steve wanted to take Tony and hide him away from the world. He wanted to protect him and shower him with all the love he deserved. For now, Steve would have to settle for just being there for Tony.

"Anthony? Tony? Can I hug you?" Tony nodded and allowed Steve to pull in into his lap. Tony closed his eyes and leaned his head into Steve's chest. Steve held his boyfriend closer and used the time to calm himself down. He didn't want Tony to get the wrong idea about how he was feeling.

"Tony, when you're ready, if you want to, do you think you could tell me what happened? I don't want to force you to tell me anything. I want to help you work through this. Is that alright?" Tony nodded but stayed silent for a few more minutes before taking a deep breath and beginning.

"When I was 15, I met this guy named Tiberius Stone in one of my classes. He seemed really nice at first. We hit it off right away. We had to keep it a secret though with it being the 80's and in the middle of the whole AIDS epidemic. We didn't want to get kicked out of school for being together and I couldn't afford for Howard to find out. Rhodey was the only one who knew because we lived together and pretty much-shared everything with each other." Tony's breath hitched, and Steve held him tighter.

"So anyway, one night one of the frat houses was putting on this huge rager and Stone got invited. Naturally, I tagged along. I don't remember too much about the party, just that it was loud and there was a lot of alcohol. Looking back, I should have been able to tell what was going on. He must have put something in my drink because it tasted funny. I'd had alcohol before that, but this one tasted off. I don't remember too much after that. I just remember waking up in my bed with Stone on top of me telling me that I deserved it and that I was a slut." Tears rolled down Tony's cheeks.

"He left after that. I never saw him again. Rhodey said that he beat the ever-loving shit out of him. He was the one who found me the next morning. My arm was shredded. I was a complete mess. Rhodey made sure I got to the hospital and got fixed up. I'd probably be dead if it wasn't for Rhodey." Tears continued to fall from both men as Steve cuddled Tony closer and Tony backed into the warmth of his boyfriend.

"Tony. I wish so much that I could have been there for you back then. I would have beaten that man within an inch of his life. Tony. Anthony. You didn't deserve this. Not one bit." Cried Steve

"You don't think I'm dirty? That I'm too messed up for love?"

"Never My Love. Never. We're a team and I will always be there to support you."

The two men spent the night wrapped in an embrace, only breaking to go get Carter when he woke up around 3 am. At some point, Tony had fallen into a deep sleep and Steve couldn't help but stare at the man. Tony Stark was one of the bravest people Steve knew. He had endured so much and yet he had survived everything thrown at him. For everything that tried to break Tony, he came out stronger and with more love in his heart. How Steve ended up lucky enough to even know the man let alone date him was beyond him. Life was full of small miracles and Steve had gotten his in the beautiful man who he got to share a bed with. He would fight to his last breath to protect Tony and his son, but for now, sleep seemed like a nice idea.

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Summary: Tony tells Steve the story behind the scars on his arm. It involved a frat party, drugs, and the worlds worst boyfriend. It was a deeply scaring event but Rhodey is the worlds best bro and is there to help. Steve now wants to beat the shit out of the person who hurt Tony but settles for just being there to support him instead.

I hope you guys enjoyed reading this chapter. It was a bit upsetting to write but in the grand scheme of things, this chapter had to happen. Again, please let me know if I need to change the tags for this. -Shadows


	11. Family is more then blood

Look at that, a brand new chapter. I promise that this one is 100% more fluffy than the last one. Enjoy!

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After Tony's admission to Steve, things started to get better. Tony became a lot more comfortable with Steve's affection and Tony quickly became a cuddle monster when it came to sleeping and movie nights. Steve was in heaven. He had the man of his dreams, a team there to support him, and a "step-son", as Tony had started dubbing their relationship, that loved him and was full of giggles.

It was November when Steve decided to take another step in their relationship. Tony was always the one to give gifts. Whether it be new armour, weapons, or a "just because" gift, it was always Tony giving and giving. Never taking. Tony showed his feelings in gifts because he was so bad at showing his emotions in words. Tony didn't really know how to be on the receiving end of gifts and affection because so few people in his past had shown him that courtesy. Steve wanted to change that with possibly one of the biggest gestures of love and trust he could.

"Tony darlin', I have a surprise for you!" exclaimed Steve as he wound his arms around his boyfriend. Tony looked up from his seat on the floor where he was sitting and playing blocks with Carter.

"Oh! And what would that be?" asked Tony as Steve joined him on the floor. Steve pulled Carter onto his lap and gave the toddler a kiss on his soft, fluffy hair. Steve pulled out a small wrapped box from his sweater pocket.

Tony took the box in his hand. It was small and grey, wrapped with a silver bow. It looked like a jewelry box. He shook it and it rattled with a metallic clink like jewelry. He looked over at Steve who just smiled and lent down to kiss Tony's head.

"Open it."

Tony turned the box over one more time before pulling the ribbon off the box and taking the lid off. Inside was a pair of dog-tags. Upon carefully lifting the chain from the box and taking a closer look, Tony realized something. They weren't just any old dog-tags. They were Steve's dog-tags back from when he was in the army. Tony stared down at the tags trying in vain to keep tears from his eyes. This was a huge sign of commitment from Steve. In Tony's mind, this was just a little bit off from a marriage proposal. Tony was floored. He never thought that he would ever get this kind of commitment from anyone.

"Steve. This is… This…" stuttered the genius. Steve repositioned Carter on his lap so that he could place the tags around Tony's neck.

"I know what's going through your head darlin'," cooed Steve, "and I know what you want to say but I won't let you. I love you, Tony. You put your heart and soul into everything you do. This is my way of giving some of my soul to you. Now you'll always have me with you, even when you're on those annoying business trips Pepper makes you take." Steve smiled, and Tony gave a bashful smile back.

"You're a sap"

"But you love me!" The two giggled and cuddled up to each other. Carter protested, and the little family went back to playing blocks.

"You know… after we put this one to bed for the night we could… you know… fondue." Said, Steve, as he waggled his eyebrows. The whole fondue thing became a bit of a suggestive joke between the two after Steve explained to Tony about his misunderstanding between Howard and Peggy that night on the plane. Tony and Steve started to use it as a code to say they wanted some "alone time" so that the others wouldn't know. It was just one of their little quirks.

Tony just smiled and gave Steve a little kiss on the cheek and went back to helping his son build a tower out of foam blocks. Steve smiled and shook his head. Yup, he was so terribly in love with his boyfriend and he was 100% ready to give him his heart forever.

Time passed, and fall turned to winter and winter turned to spring. Tony never took the dog-tags off. Steve loved this. He loved that Tony was carrying around a little piece of him all the time. The darker part of him, the possessive part, was happy to show off the world that Tony Stark was claimed. That Tony was his fella and no one else's.

Carter was also growing up fast. Every day his vocabulary and motor skills grew. Carter was going to be just as smart as his father as he continued to grow. He could form small sentences and express when he wanted something. He had trouble with the letters L and R. They kept turning into W's. The whole tower thought it was adorable. At almost 20 months old it was amazing what that kid could do. Carter was even calling the other Avenger, Happy, Rhodey, and Pepper, his aunts and uncles. The only one, other than Tony, that he called something different, was Steve.

"Papa! Up!" yelled Carter from his blanket on the floor.

"Carter your dad is down in his lab." Said Steve in confusion.

"No Dada! Papa up!" said the toddler. Steve just stared for a second before picking him up. Did Carter just call him Papa?

"Hey JARVIS. Could you tell Tony to come up here!"

"Of course, Captain. He'll be there in a moment." Responded the AI.

Steve moved over to the couch in his and Tony's bedroom. Carter was perched on his lap playing with his stuffed bunny. Carter was a cute kid and Steve loved him to bits. Ever since he and Tony officially started dating Steve was beginning to play a greater roll in Carter's life. He fed him, played with him, changed him, and was there when he cried. So yes, Steve was sort of like a second dad to Carter. He just didn't know what Tony would think about this whole thing.

"Hey Honey, what's up? Is everything ok?" asked Tony as he sat down next to Steve and pulled Carter onto his lap. Before Steve could answer they were rudely interrupted by the toddler.

"Dada no! wan Papa!" cried Carter. Tony just raised his eyebrows and Steve looked down bashfully

"I swear I didn't teach him to do that." Whispered Steve as Tony put Carter back on his lap.

"It's fine babe. It's more than fine. It means he loves you. Makes my life easier." Said, Tony, as a tear slid down his face.

"You don't have a problem with it?" asked Steve as he unconsciously wrapped both arms around the child in his lap.

"Never." Whispered Tony and he leaned into Steve and wrapped an arm around both Steve and Carter. "When Carter was first born I never expected him to have another parent. Never have a family this big and happy. We're a family now. I've never been this happy for this long before. I've got my boy's. What more could I ever need?"

Steve removed one of his arms from Carter and wrapped it around Tony, pulling him closer. They stayed there on the couch cuddling and eventually dozing off. And, if when Bruce come up to there floor to get the little family for dinner, he didn't mention the fact that the three where cuddled so closely that it was hard to tell where one person ended and one began.

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So... Papa Steve anyone. How cute is this?! Carter has two dads who love each other very much. Now if this only wasn't 2014 America and they couldn't get married. That comes later. I hope you guy's enjoyed the chapter. -Shadows


	12. I trust you

First of all, thank you guys so much for all the love you've shown my story. I love you all so much. Also, like with chapter 10, this chapter comes with the same trigger warnings. If you find this a problem, stop reading when you see the TWTWTWTW. I'll put a summary of that part in the end note. Other than that, enjoy the chapter.

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It was closing in on one year since AIM was discovered to be working with HYDRA and more bases were discovered. The team amped up their training and were going on domestic missions once every two weeks. Tony had finally met Laura Barton and she was now watching Carter when they were away. So far, the team had cleared and destroyed all the HYDRA bases in 32 states. The UN and WSC were incredibly happy with the teams work and were working on clearing them for international missions.

The team worked well together and were definitely a family. Now, their fighting on the field wasn't seamless. There was always room for improvement. Lucky for the Avengers the UN saw their hard work and were a few weeks away from giving the team the green light for international missions. So, things were going great for the team, until they got a very peculiar call from Missouri.

"I'm sorry Senator, could you please repeat that?" asked Steve. The team were sitting in their conference room after getting a call to assemble just a few minutes earlier.

"We've been informed that there is this large alien mass that formed on the outskirts of St. Charles Missouri approximately 10 minutes ago. There are no civilian casualties reported and the mass does not seem to be growing now but we're not sure. Your team has more experience out of anybody when it comes to dealing with stuff like this."

"We'll be right there, Senator. ETA 20 minutes." And with that Steve closed the call and the team suited up and boarded the quinjet.

With JARVIS taking over Tony's spot as pilot, Tony was able to join the team around their little table on the jet to plan their mission. They didn't know what this was made of, so it was decided that Tony would fly up above the mass to gather as much information as possible. They then thought up plans on what to so do if the mass was organic or inorganic.

Once the team landed they were extremely grateful that the local law enforcement had secured the area and were keeping the curious citizens out of the way. The Avengers spread out around the mass. Yup, it was definitely alien, but not something they recognized. Even Thor, who was centuries old at this point, had no clue was it was. JARVIS, bless his binary soul, was able to tell the team that it was organic and should be able to be cleaned up how they planned.

The clean up was easy. Easy in the way one would consider a doctoral thesis on the relationship between gravity and anti-matter. Which is to say, not easy at all. It took the team the better part of the afternoon to make sure every single last cell of whatever the hell that thing was, was contain and in bio-hazard. Was the clean up long? Yes. Did Clint and Tony tell really stupid jokes to pass the time? Yes. Did Steve reprimand them more than once for chatter on the coms? You better believe he did. So, all in all it was a day filled with crazy alien shit. Tony Stark did not like crazy alien shit. Maybe he liked it when he was a kid, but after New York. Fuck No! Needless to say, that Steve was up most of the night trying in vain to get his boyfriend to bed. Steve understood what Tony was going through. He really did. But this just wasn't healthy, and Steve was a mother hen who tended to worry.

He did eventually get Tony to get some sleep. It just took some really good hot chocolate to get him there.

A few weeks after that whole alien rigmarole in Missouri life had evened out again. Tony and Steve continued to be the ultimate power couple and amazing parents. Clint was in and out between the tower and his secret family. Natasha and Bruce began to spend a little bit more time together. This inspired a new betting pool between Clint and Tony. If the team could bet on his love life it was only fair that he return the favour. Thor decided to spend some much-needed downtime travelling between Asgard and Midgard and spending some alone time with Jane.

Everything was fine… Until it wasn't.

Thor had given the team an urgent call around 2 in the afternoon one day in mid-June. It sounded bad.

"Avengers I believe we need to assemble." Said a worried Thor over the phone. He told the team that Jane had been taken to this other world because of some gravitational anomaly. He was taking her to Asgard to try and figure out what was going on. Thor had asked the team to talk to the World Security Council and the UN to get a rush on their international avenging as Thor had no idea what was really going on and where things could happen if they happened on Earth.

So, Tony and Steve got to work trying to persuade the council to get a rush order on their permits. Tony used his skills manipulation most commonly reserved for board meetings and galas. Steve used his Captain voice and Tony had to use all his concentration to not jump his boyfriend right then and there.

They got the green light just in time to get a phone call from Erik Selvig. He was coherent enough to inform them of the situation. So, Tony had Maria Hill take Carter to the Barton's and run intel while the rest of the team raced onto the jet. By the time they arrived all hell had broken loose. There was a portal with aliens coming out of it. There were storms and this red mist.

So, alien invasion and something called an infinity stone.

Not great.

Not great at all.

Tony had to use all his willpower to concentrate on breathing. This was a really really really bad time to be having a panic attack. Thank Fuck Thor seemed to have things under control. Sure, he almost died but having a teammate almost die was, unfortunately, a normal occurrence at this point. They helped a bit with the clean up before a WSC team came to clear up the rest. The jet ride back was mostly silent. Bruce and Steve kept Tony from falling into a downward spiral and most of everyone else slept. It was calm not, but they all knew that once they got back to the tower there would be talk.

"What the hell was that red stuff?" asked Clint once everyone was settled in the living room

"That was an infinity stone." Said Thor as he stuffed his face with same popcorn he had made

"Care to explain to the class Pointbreak," Thor grumbled and got on with his explanation.

"Before the universe was created, there were 6 singularities. When everything came into being, what was left if these singularities were concentrated into stones. Legend has it that these stones can only be controlled by beings with extraordinary strength. There are six stones in total. The Space Stone, the Mind Stone, the Time Stone, the Power Stone, the Reality Stone, and the Soul Stone. The Space Stone was in the Tesseract that… that…" Thor began to choke up a bit.

"Thor, what's wrong?" asked Steve.

"Loki's dead. My brother is dead." A lone tear ran down Thor's cheek. The rest of the team really didn't like Loki, but they did care for Thor. Thor explained how Loki had sacrificed his life for him so that he could get Jane to safety and defeat Malakith. Loki may have been a bad guy when he attacked, but to Thor, he was still his brother and that was enough reason to mourn him.

"Thor, if there's anything we can do to help just let us know alright."

"Thank you, Friend Anthony." Thor gave a watery smile and munched on some more popcorn. "Anyway, The Space Stone was in the Tesseract and that now resides in Asgard's vault, so it should be safe. The Reality stone is being taken far away to be protected. I know there are more out there. I can sense the magic of one close by, but I can't be sure. For the time being, we should be safe." The team breathed a collective sigh but didn't try to press any of the issues present in that moment. They had all had a long day and were ready to eat and relax.

That night they held a small candle ceremony for Loki.

So, with the absolute craziness of the last two weeks, the team needed some light-hearted festivities. It was just in time because Carter was turning two! Tony couldn't be more excited.

And nervous.

And emotionally conflicted because his little baby wasn't a little baby anymore.

The day was absolutely perfect though. Carter was all smiles as he spent the day playing at this secluded park with his Daddy and Papa. Steve had packed a little picnic lunch that he set up while he watched Tony and Carter play together on the slide.

"Higher Daddy! Higher!" Steve could hear Carter's delighted little scream as Tony pushed Carter just a little bit harder and ran under the swing in an "under-ducky". Steve smiled at their antics and called them over for lunch.

Lunch was a messy affair, as it normally was with the now 2-year old. Carter managed to completely cover his face with sandwich crumbs and watermelon. He looked so cute in his striped red shirt and overalls that Tony had dressed him in that morning. Tony and Steve managed to get a tome of pictures to remember the day.

After lunch, they played at the park for a little while longer before they drove home so that Carter could have a nap. While Carter was napping, the team decorated the living room with red and blue balloons (Carter's favourite colours), red and blue streamers, and a banner painted by Steve that said: "Happy 2nd Birthday Carter Anthony Stark!" It was painted with fun bubble letters and also sported a red and blue motif.

Carter was so excited when he woke up and Tony brought him down for dinner. The Avengers and Pepper all gave him birthday hugs and kisses as they sat down to some homemade mac and cheese. Carter loved mac and cheese just as much as any 2-year old. Probably to an unhealthy amount. But, it was his birthday and who was Tony to deny his kid on his birthday. After dinner, there was a chorus of "Happy Birthday" as Steve and Tony helped him blow out the candles on his T-Rex shaped cake. Carter was all giggles and smiles.

After cake came presents. It was filled with the calamity that only a sugared-up child could bring. There was wrapping paper all over the living room floor and new toys and books scattered at Carters feet. Tony had to remind his son to say thank you to everyone before he got too engrossed in playing with his new dinosaur toys. Carter loved dinosaurs and was super happy that he got so many new dino-themed toys and stuffies.

Carter ended up falling asleep on the floor cuddling his new Triceratops stuffy sent to him by Uncle Rhodey. Tony just smiled, snapped a picture, and carried his son up to bed. As Carter slept, Tony took a moment to reflect. Yes, Carter may be growing up, but he would always be his baby boy.

***TWTWTWTWTWTW***

A few weeks later, after Carter had been put to bed, the team decided to have a bonding night. Truth or Dare. It was Thor's decision. He saw it as an opportunity to test his skills as a warrior. Thor really didn't get the point of the game. Either way, that's what they were playing, end of discussion.

"Alright Natashalie, truth or dare?" asked Tony with a smirk.

"Dare." Said Natasha. There was no fear in her voice.

"I dare you too… lick Thor's foot!"

"Geez Tony. That's a bit tame don't you think?" deadpanned Clint as Natasha completed her dare without flinching or pulling a face. The only giveaway of the nastiness for Thor's foot was Natasha chugging the rest of her vodka.

The game kept going with funny results. Clint ended up duct taped to the ceiling for 10 minutes, Thor had to give Nat a foot rub, the team found out that Bruce cheated on an English test when he was 8, and that Steve once got into a fight with a swan when he was in the army. It was all in good fun until things took a bit of a turn for the worst.

"Alright Stark, truth or dare?" asked Natasha with a smug look on her face.

"Truth." There wasn't a whole lot of stuff about Tony Stark that wasn't public, so he wasn't scared at all.

"Alright, when did you lose your virginity?"

Tony tried so hard not to stiffen at the question. He knew he had to answer it before the team got suspicious.

"15." He choked out.

"15! Man Tony! I guess the playboy phase started early." Commented Clint. Steve could feel Tony stiffen beside him and he discreetly grabbed his boyfriend's hand in an attempt to comfort him. The rest of the team laughed at Clint's joke.

"I'll be right back. Carter had the sniffles earlier. I'm gonna check on him really quick." Tony got up from his spot on the floor but not before tapping on Steve's pocket that held his phone. Steve got the message and let Tony go.

Once Tony left the room Steve's phone went off with a new message.

"You need to tell them before they start jumping to conclusions. I can't do it, Steve. It was hard enough telling you. I trust you, babe. Please. I can't do it again."

Steve gave a little frown at the message. He knew that this was Tony's story to tell, but he also knew that Tony wouldn't be able to go through the experience again. It was up to Steve to make sure the team understood what had happened and to do Tony justice.

"Um, guys. There's something I have to tell you." Spoke Steve.

"Is this about why Stark high tailed it out of here?" asked Clint.

"Yeah, it is." Steve took a deep breath and jumped into the story. He made sure to tell it just like Tony had. He needed to do it justice. He needed to bring justice to his love. As the story continued he could see his teammate's eye's growing wider. By the end, Bruce and Clint had tears in their eye's and Thor and Nat just looked angry.

"This doesn't change anything about Tony. He doesn't want to be treated like some delicate flower. He cares so much about us and he deserves our respect. Now, I'm going to go check on him. It's best if you don't directly bring this up with him. Let Tony come to you with it." And with that, Steve left the room to go check on his boyfriend leaving the team to mull over the new information they had just gained.

Steve found Tony sitting on their bed fiddling with the dog tags he wore around his neck. Steve just held him close and hoped that the team understood. They fell asleep clutching each other like their lives depended on it.

After hearing Tony's story, the team reacted in different ways. Bruce had to go down to his Hulk chamber to calm down before he proceeded to his lab to make a new project for Tony to work on. Tony always did like working with Bruce. It never failed to cheer him up. Clint went down to the gym to punch things. He took his anger out on a punching bag and tried not to think about the same thing happening to his own kids. He vowed to help Tony protect Carter with everything he had. Natasha made herself a cup of tea before retiring to her room. She should have seen the signs. She should have seen the scars ins Tony's body and soul. She should have, but she didn't. She was too busy working off her preconceived notions of him to see anything but an arrogant, selfish man while she was working undercover all those years ago. Natasha promised herself that she would teach Tony more hand to hand combat so that he could better protect himself. Thor left for Asgard right away. This news was a lot to process and he needed to speak with his father. The Asgardians had customs for this sort of situation and Thor wanted to help his friend the only way he knew how.

The team tried not to make breakfast tense the next day. They really did, but the absence of Thor wasn't helping matters much. It wasn't until noon when the familiar light of the Bifrost lit up the landing pad that the mood began to change.

"Friend Anthony, may I speak with you in private please?" asked Thor as he sauntered into the kitchen.

"Um, sure Pointbreak. Let's go down to my lab." The two Avengers left and made their way down to Tony's lab. Thor had only been down there a few time but he was always amazed by Tony's lab. There was no doubt that Tony Stark was a genius.

"So, what can I do for you buddy?" asked Tony as he sat down and spun around on his little chair. Thor pulled an ornate dagger from his pocket and placed it in Tony's hand.

"This is a special weapon form my home. It is given to those who have suffered as you have so that they may know the strength that they possess for surviving. It is our way of honouring them and as a symbol of worthiness."

Tony stared down at the dagger. The handle was gold with intricate runes engraved into it. At the juncture where the blade met the handle, there were rings of small rubies. The blade itself was sturdy and sharp. The metal appeared to be the same that made up Thor's armour. It was a work of art.

"Thor, this is gorgeous. Um, thank you." Mumbled Tony as he inspected the dagger.

"I shall teach you how to use it properly. You will always have a weapon with you, even outside of the suit." Smiled Thor as he lead Tony down to the gym. Well, apparently training was starting right away.

Soon after Tony was always seen with the dagger in its sheath whenever he left the tower. Tony really was a force to be reckoned with now that he had more extensive combat training and a freaking dagger. Either way, it made the press back off and Tony and Steve were thankful for that. Maybe now they could go out of proper dates without being hounded by the press.

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Summary: The team play truth or dare and Natasha asks Tony when he lost his virginity. He answers but gets upset and Steve ends up telling the team (with Tony's permission) what had happened to him when he was 15. The team are there to support Tony and Thor gifts him with a special dagger that is given to Asgardians who have been through the same thing Tony has.

I hope you guys liked this chapter. Most of it was cute and I'm so proud of how much I've seen myself improving. So... Infinity Stones. Remember what Thor told the team about him sensing one near the team. That's going to be important later. I hope you all caught the Guardians Vol. 2 reference I made. The Avengers would have totally been called in to deal with that plant thing. Also, we just have one more chapter of filler before you guys get to see how I'm going to change AOU. I can't wait.

Until next time -Shadows


	13. Accidents happen

The last chapter before things start getting serious. This chapter is mostly filler, but you'll get a little look into Tony's mind near the end. So, enjoy!

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Date night was a very rare and special thing for Steve and Tony. With Avengers responsibilities, Tony's work for SI, and the fact that they had a toddler running around, time alone was hard to come by. So, when Thor offered to babysit one night in late spring, Steve and Tony jumped at the chance.

Well, Steve jumped at the chance. Tony was apprehensive. You see, the thought of leaving his two-and-a-half-year-old son alone with the God of thunder didn't quite sit right with him. Sure, Thor was trustworthy and would never hurt Carter on purpose, but he was still a clumsy guy with a fucking hammer and the ability to create storms. Tony agreed but put some very specific rules in place.

"Remember Thor, Carter needs to be in bed by 7:30, 8:00 at the latest. Make sure to read him a story and that he has on a pair of footy pyjamas. He likes those ones best at night." Rambled Tony as he and Steve prepared to leave the tower for their night on the town.

"Tony darlin', they'll be fine." Said, Steve, as he wrapped his arm around Tony's hip.

"I know, but he's my baby. Cut a dad some slack." Smiled Tony as he walked over to give Carter one last hug and kiss before passing him off to Thor before making his way to the elevator.

"Thor, don't forget! No Cookies!" called Tony as the elevator doors closed behind him. Thor smiled as he shifted Carter on his hip.

"Well, I guess it's just you and me little man of iron."

Carter giggled at the nickname and squirmed around so that Thor would put him down. Carter ran over to his toys in the living room and Thor followed close behind. Thor wanted to show himself trustworthy enough to be trusted with this again, but he also wanted to be the fun uncle.

Thor and Carter played blocks and dinos together for what felt like hours. It was only 30 minutes but whatever, it felt like forever. 6:00 rolled around and the rest of the team gathered around for dinner. Bruce had made a nice stew and the team were excited to try it. Carter, unfortunately, chose this moment to become difficult. Carter could eat on his own. In fact, he normally did, one of his dads just normally cut his food into smaller pieces for him. Thor forgot this little fact but was rudely reminded when he received a carrot to the face. Dinner went smoothly after that.

Getting the toddler cleaned up after dinner was a different story. How Steve and Tony managed to do this every way was beyond Thor. There was bath water everywhere and a very slippery toddler. Carter managed to slip out of the fluffy red towel that Thor had wrapped him in and the little nudist ran straight for the kitchen. Right to the cookie jar. Thor caught him, but not before a trail of water was trekked around the tower.

Thor eventually was able to get Carter dry and into a pair of AC/DC footy pyjamas. And down for a story. Carter demanded that they read Good Night Moon and that Thor make funny voices. He was just about to nod off when Carter spoke up.

"Unca Thor, I'm hungry. Can we's get a snack?" asked Carter in the cutest voice he could muster. Thor nodded and picked him up before making the trek back down the kitchen. Once there, Carter put his little plan in motion.

First mistake. Thor set Carter down on the counter… right next to the cookie jar. Second mistake. Thor turned his back on the toddler to go check the fridge for a toddler-friendly snack. Third mistake. There was still water on the floor from Carter's bath.

So, here's what went down. While Thor had his back turned, Carter stole one homemade chocolate chip cookie from the jar and slid off the counter. Thor turned around where he heard the pitter patter of little feet as he saw Carter fleeing the scene. Little Carter Stark was NOT paying attention to the ground under him as he stepped in one of his puddles from earlier. He promptly slipped on the water, dropped his prized cookie, and smacked his right arm HARD on the ground as he fell.

The sickening sound of bone cracking could be heard throughout the floor.

Thor scooped the distraught toddler up in an instant and pulled out his phone to call Tony.

While all hell broke loose back at the Tower, Tony and Steve were enjoying their date. Tony took Steve to this nice Italian restaurant. It was nice, just the two of them with no worries. They couldn't take their eyes off each other. Smiles and jokes were traded as the night moved on. Desert was amazing, but they were waiting eagerly for the real desert when they got home.

"That was amazing Anthony." Said Steve and he and Tony walked hand in hand the short distance back to the tower. Sure, they could've taken a car, but it was so nice out and it gave them more time together.

"Only the best for my Capsicle." Whispered Tony as he leaned up to give Steve a kiss on the cheek. "I wonder how Thor and Carter are doing?" he asked as they approached the base of the tower. Steve was just about to answer when Tony's phone rang. Tony checked the caller ID. It was Thor.

"Hey, Thor. Is everything ok?"

"Um… Not really." Crying could be heard in the background.

"Thor, what happened?" asked Tony very seriously.

"Well, Carter wanted a bedtime snack, so I brought him down to the kitchen with me. I put him on the counter, so I could check the refrigerator for a snack. Well, Carter managed to steal a cookie and hop down. While he was running he slipped on some water and now his right arm is all swollen and he won't stop crying." Explained Thor as he tried to keep his voice calm.

"Get Bruce there. Steve and I will be up in 2 minutes." Tony frantically ended the call and pulled Steve over to the elevator and filling him in on what happened.

Once they got to the common floor, Tony made an immediate be-line for Carter plucking the crying toddler from Thor's lap and trying to soothe him.

Thor kept apologizing and Steve kept telling him that it was okay. Accidents happen, and Thor did the right thing calling right away. Bruce quickly got there as well and took control of the situation.

"It might be broken. I'll have to take him to med bay just to be sure. Either way, Carter should be fine. Small breaks are common in young children." Said, Bruce, as he packed up his medical bag. Tony nodded, and everyone made their way down to the med bay.

Carter did NOT want anything to do with the x-ray machine. He threw a major temper tantrum and Tony had to hold him and give him a grape sucker to get his son to stay still long enough to get the picture. It was a clean break, didn't have to be reset and all it would need was a cast and time. Carter didn't like the idea of having something on his arm for three months, but, when Steve offered to paint the cast to look like Iron Man's arm, he had a change of heart. After all, Iron Man was Carter's favourite superhero. Who wouldn't want an arm like his?

Because of this incident and Tony's paranoid mind, he made a new protocol. The Buddy Protocol. Nobody babysits alone with the exceptions of Agent Hill and the Barton's. Poor Tony. It already felt like his mind was being invaded sometimes, now he was more worried about his son than he was before. Yes, children will always find a way to get hurt and that was normal. Tony just felt like there was something big coming and he wanted to be prepared so that he could protect his family.

* * *

Poor Carter. Little kids seem to find the worst ways to hurt themselves. Thor felt so bad but he did a good job. So, anyway, next chapter is the dreaded Age Of Ultron chapter. I can't wait to see how I've changed it. It should be a wild ride. That being said, I've started writing the chapter but it is a long one so it may take a little while to come out. But don't worry, it'll be worth it. Until next time -Shadows


	14. I won't lose you!

Alright, obligatory chapter warnings in 3. 2. 1. This chapter contains; violence, mental manipulation, gore, self-harm, and some language. Oh boy! Well, what did you all expect? This is the Age of Ultron chapter after all. That being said, the beginning bit is a bit disturbing, so reader discretion is advised. I'm actually serious this time. I freaked myself out writing the beginning. If this stuff is an issue, please stop reading when Tony gets his vision from Wanda in the bunker and start again when they're on the jet back. Also, this is a movie chapter so some of the dialogue is taken from the movie. I do not own Marvel so none of that is mine. Please enjoy!

* * *

HYDRA. It was always fucking HYDRA. Just once Tony wished they would fight something a little more interesting. Like a giant squid or a Yeti. But no, it's always HYDRA. The same old bad guys trying to screw them over. At least it looked like their HYDRA fights were coming to an end. They had finally located Strucker's base in Sakovia and the team were primed and ready to retrieve Loki's sceptre once and for all.

Fighting in the snow, however. Not great.

Clint and Natasha were taking shots from the hummer while Steve threw his shield from his bike. Tony and Thor took aim from the air and the Hulk took out any stragglers. This was by far the biggest (other than Project Insight) HYDRA bust that the team had undertaken. Shots were being fired left and right as the team worked their way towards the stronghold base. Tony was closest, so he took a shot at trying to land on the roof only to be stopped by an invisible barrier.

"Shit!" he grimaced as the suit ricocheted off of nothing.

"Language." Reprimanded Steve over the coms. "JARVIS, what's the view from upstairs?"

"The central building is protected by some sort of energy shield. Strucker's technology is well beyond any other HYDRA base we've taken."

"At long last" spoke Thor as he shot a lightning blast at a few dozen agents.

"At long last is lasting a little long, boys!" commented Natasha as she threw a few grenades.

"Well, I think we've lost the element of surprise." Said, Clint, as he brought down a shower of arrows.

"Wait a second. Is no one else is going to deal with the fact that Cap just said "language"?" asked Tony as he continued to blast HYDRA scum.

"I know… It just slipped out."

"Welcome to fatherhood Stevie." Laughed Tony as he flew around the outside of the base. He noticed that the city was under fire, so he instructed JARVIS to send the Iron Legion to help protect the public. While Tony tried to find a way to infiltrate the base, the team on the ground were dealing with a problem of their own.

"We have an enhanced in the field. Do not engage. I repeat, do not engage." Said Steve over the coms.

"Clint's hit! Requesting evac."

Tony wanted to go help them. He really did. His fellow dad friend and teammate had been hit, but he had to find a way into the base. It wasn't until JARVIS found where the power source was that Tony was able to take action. He fired a missile into the ground and the shield dissolved into the air leaving an opening for Tony to get through.

"Drawbridge is down people."

"I'll take care of Barton. You and Stark take care of the sceptre." Said, Thor, before he took off.

"And for gosh sake watch your language." Giggled Tony

"That's not going away any time soon."

"No way honey bun."

Tony burst his way through the window of the north tower, glass shattering and blanketing the floor like the snow outside. The agents inside were, as expected, uncooperative but were quickly neutralized. He exited the Iron Man armour and started downloading and deleting all the information he could get from HYDRA's servers. Meanwhile, Thor got Clint safely in the jet while Natasha went to go give Banner a lullaby. While the information was processing, Tony had JARVIS scan the room. On the wall to his left, there was steal reinforcements and an air current.

"Please be a secret door. Please be a secret door. Please be a secret door." Tony pushed on the wall and it slid open. "Yay!"

Tony made his way down an old, dimly lit hallway. It smelt of mildew, rot, and closely resembled a World War 2 bunker. The lights flickered in his wake and his steps sounded wet underfoot. He came to the end of the hall and opened a large wooden door. Old Chitauri tech was strewn about the large holding room. Above Tony's head was a Leviathan ship used during the invasion of New York. It was a picture-perfect scene straight out of Tony's personal hell.

"We have a second enhanced in the field. Female. Do not engage." Whispered Steve over the coms. A banging noise was heard before, "Guys, I've got Strucker."

"Yeah, well, I've got something bigger. Much, much bigger."

Tony took a moment to take inventory of his surroundings. There were old weapons, robots, and computers placed haphazardly around the room. It was dingy and cold. Everything felt inhuman and the air tasted like fear and danger. He rounded a corner, and there it was. Loki's sceptre.

"Thor. I've got eyes on the prize."

Tony was just about to take a few steps closer when the edges of his vision went hazy and red. It wasn't painful, but it was certainly unpleasant. It quickly cleared, and Tony heard a metallic roar as the Leviathan above him sprang to life and flew around the room. But the room wasn't the room anymore. It was a dark, desolate planet. There were Chitauri everywhere surrounding the very air he needed to breathe. In front of him lay the Avengers, broken and beaten. The Hulk twitched and whined. Natasha was on her back, eyes staring straight into Tony's soul. Clint was bleeding heavily, still clutching his bow. Thor almost looked like he was sleeping with Mjolnir resting just out of reach.

And then there was Steve. His boyfriend, the light of his life was laying down closest to him. His shield broken into ragged chunks and sitting by his head. Tony felt the panic set in. This wasn't real, was it? It couldn't be. But it felt so real. He could feel the broken Stones under his feet. Taste the ash and blood in the air. It had to be real. Tony walked over to Steve kneeling down to check his pulse. Tony startled as Steve grabbed his hand and pulled him closer.

"You… could've… saved… us. Why didn't… you do more?" Said, Steve, as his eyes glazed over and he stopped breathing. Tony's heart broke into a thousand pieces as he watched his boyfriend die. Tony would have been fine just to sit there and mourn until he heard a sound more heart wrenching than Steve dying.

"Daddy! Help Me!"

Tony whipped around and saw the absolute worst-case scenario. His son. His three-year-old son was trapped. Standing up but stuck to the ground by large boulders surrounding his feet. His chest and arms were bound with thick, corded rope. Behind Carter stood an imposing Chitauri soldier. In his hand was a long, sword-like object, pressed right up to his baby boy's neck.

"Carter!" yelled Tony as he launched himself over to his son. But he wasn't fast enough. The soldier raised his sword and brought it down hard against his son's neck. Blood splattered across Tony's arms and face. Tony stood frozen watching the ground hungrily drink up his son's blood. A deep, menacing voice could be heard, but Tony couldn't find the source.

"Fun isn't something one considers when balancing the universe. But this… does put a smile on my face."

No! This can't be real! This can't be real! This can't be real!

It wasn't real.

Tony blinked, and he was back in the room he started in. He felt so cold and empty. Like every part of him had died. That scene, that vision. It felt so real. He was there. He saw them die. But, he didn't? It didn't make sense. It was real. It had to be. The blood, the death and destruction. No. No! NO! It was real.

It was real.

It was real!

IT WAS REAL!

And Tony didn't know how to process this. So, he did what his brain and body wanted him to do.

He shut down. And, unknown to Tony, the stone in the sceptre glowed just a bit brighter.

MTHS

"Guys! Tony's not answering his coms. I'm going in to check on him. Requesting backup if I don't answer back in 20 mins." Said Steve over the coms. He was worried. Tony normally answers right away. This wasn't normal, and Steve couldn't help but think of the worst.

He made his way down the same hallway Tony had. Something felt off. Something smelt off. It was almost metallic. Almost like blood. Steve proceeded with extreme caution as he entered the room filled floor to ceiling with HYDRA and Chitauri tech. He took a moment to look around and listen for any trouble. Behind a desk, he could hear some sort of shuffling and… was that crying? Steve rounded the corner, and his heart broke.

Tony was on his knees sitting on the floor. He was covered in blood. There was too much blood. There were deep scratch marks over Tony's eyes and down his cheeks. Blood rolled off them like tears. The left sleeve of his shirt was rolled up. The old scars that existed there were now covered by newer, deeper cuts that had blood dripping to the floor. He sat there, crying almost silently, a knife still clutched in his hand.

"TONY! Tony baby!" yelled Steve as he ran to him and knelt on the ground next to him. Steve took Tony's bleeding arm in his and tried to staunch the bleeding.

"This is Captain America requesting immediate backup and medical aid to my location. As fast as possible! Over!" he yelled over the coms.

Tony sat there mumbling the same thing over and over again. "You're not real. You're dead. You're not real." He looked like a complete wreck. Like someone had entered his mind and snapped it in half. Tony's eyes were screwed shut and he wasn't even paying attention to Steve. Steve took the hand that wasn't currently applying pressure to Tony's arm and ran it through his hair and cupped the back of his head.

"Tony. Tony, it's me. It's Steve. I've got you. You're safe now." He whispered and brought his head down to Tony's.

"You're not real. You're not real. I killed you! It's all my fault. You're dead and it's my fault! I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry! I'm SORRY!" screamed Tony as he tried to bring his hands back up to claw at his face. Luckily, Steve had a strong hold on his arms and was able to stop this. In another stroke of pure luck, Thor had just arrived in the room carrying the teams well-stocked first aid kit.

"Captain! What happened?"

"I don't know." Steve was almost in tears. "He was like this when I found him. He keeps saying that I'm not real and that he killed me. I think something or someone messed with his head."

"I'll try moving Loki's sceptre away from him. It may help you calm him enough to get his injuries sorted." Steve nodded, and Thor moved to remove the sceptre from the room. Once Thor left the effect was immediate. Tony's shoulders slumped a bit and he let out a little whimper of pain.

"Tony darlin'. You with me?" asked Steve as he brought Tony's head to his shoulder.

"Steve?" croaked Tony. He tried to open his eyes, but his face hurt too much.

"I'm here Tony. You're safe now Love." Whispered Steve as he rubbed his partners back. "Can you tell me what happened?" Tony just shook his head.

"Hurts."

"I know darlin'. Let's get you fixed up so we can go back to the jet, alright?" Steve made to move away but stopped when Tony grabbed his arm.

"Please don't leave. Need to know you're real."

Steve nodded and used his reach to grab and open the first aid kit. Steve slowly cleaned and wrapped Tony's arm all the while making sure that one part of his body was always touching him. Once the arm was bandaged up Steve moved onto Tony's face. Steve knew something was really wrong when Tony didn't protest one bit at the medical attention being given to him. Tony panicked when Steve began to wrap gauze around his head to cover the wounds he made to his face, but Steve was quick and had it under control. Thor was then summoned back, and the trio made their way to the jet. When they walked onto the jet was when the calm broke.

"What happened?" asked Natasha as they walked onto the jet. Steve cradled Tony in his arms and Thor following close behind with the case containing Loki's sceptre.

"We're not entirely sure." Said, Steve, as he sat down on one of the benches hugging Tony close. Tony, in turn, was clinging to Steve like his life depended on it.

"How's Barton?" croaked out Tony

"I'm alive. Hurts like a bitch, but I'm alive" came the reply from the bed near the front of the jet. Tony nodded and tried to press himself closer to Steve. Once everything was deemed stable, Natasha got the jet in the air and the team began to fly home.

Steve spent the flight holding Tony close and reassuring him that he was still there, and he was real. Natasha got things sorted and JARVIS had control of the jet, she was able to check on Clint and Bruce.

"Thor, report on the hulk."

"The gates of Hel are filled with the screams of his victims." Everyone who could gave Thor the death glare.

"But not the screams of the dead of course. No, No, uh. Wounded screams. Mainly whimpering, a great deal of complaining, and tales of sprained deltoids and the… gout." This brought a giggle out of both Clint and Tony.

Steve continued to sooth Tony until he had lulled into a light sleep. Steve was worried. Very worried. What had happened to cause his boyfriend to act like that. Even in his darkest moments, Tony had never done something like that. Maybe it was the girl who was working with HYDRA. She had that red misty stuff. It wouldn't be a complete stretch to say that she was behind it.

When the jet landed Hellen Cho's team was quick to get Clint to medical and get him treated. Tony was another story. He was so worked up and out of it that he refused to let anyone other then Steve touch him. So, Steve ended up having to carry him down to medical. They sat down together on the bed, Steve never leaving Tony's side.

"Tony, you need to let the doctors look at those cuts. I'm pretty sure you need stitches. Please Love." Pleaded Steve as he held Tony's hands in one hand and caressed his head with the other. Tony just leaned in closer but didn't fuss as much when the doctors began to unwrap his arm to look at the damage. All the wounds needed stitches, it was that bad. There were 14 cuts in total and a local anesthetic wouldn't work. They fitted Tony with a very light morphine drip and had Steve lay him down while they stitched and rewrapped his arm. What Tony really didn't like was when they unwrapped his eyes. They had to darken the room to keep Tony from losing it. Luckily none of them needed stitches and the doctors were able to glue and tape the cuts back together. Steve whispered reassurances the whole time. Tony would need to wear dark sunglasses for a few days to prevent any more eye irritation.

Steve sat Tony down in a wheelchair so that they could go check on Barton while the morphine worked through his system. Tony really hated painkillers. He tried to avoid them if he could for this very reason. On a lucky note, because Tony had managed to collect all the data from the base, they had everything they needed to know about the two enhanced individuals they encountered. Maria Hill was able to get them up to speed.

"Nero-electric interfacing…" Muttered Tony

"Does that mean anything Tony?" asked Steve as he knelt in front of him.

"I think that little witch messed with my head. Made me see all this horrible stuff." Tony hung his head

"Darlin', what did you see?"

"I can't, I can't repeat it. Not right now. But it was horrible things. The worst things. Things I never want to see again." Steve put a hand on his shoulder and got up to push the chair towards their common floor so that they could get some food and see Carter.

"I need to talk to Thor and Bruce about that sceptre."

"No, you need dinner and Carter cuddles. Everything else can wait till tomorrow. They'll understand."

The elevator dinged, and Steve and Tony made their way to the living room. Steve helped Tony get settled on the couch before running to go get Carter.

"Papa! You and Daddy home now!" yelled a very excited toddler from his spot on the floor. Hill had been watching him, but JARVIS was just as good for a few moments when needed.

"Yeah, we're home now jelly bean." Cater squealed and hugged his papa. "Now Carter, I need you to listen very carefully alright buddy." Carter nodded. "When we were fighting the bad guys, daddy got hurt so he has these bandages on his arm and face. We need to be super-duper careful with them ok. The bandages will help daddy get better, like the cast on your arm. We also need to be quite to keep daddy's head from hurting alright bud?" Carter nodded his head and went to go grab his special blanket to give to his dad so that he would start to feel better.

Carter was quite as he sat on the couch and ate dinner with his daddy and papa. He told them about all the games he played while they were gone. Tony let Carter out of his sight even for a second the whole time he was sitting with them. The rest of the team eventually joined them in the living room but gave the little family space. When it came time to put Carter to bed Tony made sure that every little thing was secure, and that JARVIS was keeping an eye on his son. A little paranoia never hurt anybody. Instead of going back to join the team, Steve took them back to their room so that Tony could rest, and they could talk.

"Tony, can you tell me what you saw. Please Love." Asked Steve.

So, Tony did. He trusted his partner 100%. He told Steve exactly what happened. Everything from him entering the base, to finding the weapons room, to the red hazed vision. All of it. By the end, Tony had tears in his eyes and Steve was close to crying.

"I don't think I'll ever forget that voice. It was… it was horrible Steven. I never want to see anything like that again."

They spent the night trying desperately to keep each other safe from the inevitable nightmares.

MTHS

The next morning Tony tried to act like nothing had happened. Everyone knew that someone had messed with Tony's head, but they tried not to talk about it in front of him. Tony didn't need their pity on top of everything else. Breakfast was subdued, but once it was over was when the real fun began.

Tony, Bruce, and Thor made their way down to one of the shared labs on the research level of the tower. Thor had put the sceptre there the night before for safe keeping. Tony's brain had been working all night and it was now time to put his plan into action.

"Thor, what can you tell us about this. Is it safe to be around?" asked Tony as all three looked at the case.

"I reckon it's safe to be around."

"So, if we were to have JARVIS scan it, we would be fine."

"Should be."

So, JARVIS did a scan of the sceptre. It was alien, no surprise there, but there was so much that they couldn't quantify. It was amazing.

"Sir, the jewel seems like it's a protective housing for something else. I'm reading the same erratic signatures coming from you."

"Well, you know me J, I am erratic." Said Tony, brushing off the comment.

"It is also something powerful."

"Like a reactor?"

"Like a computer." The three Avengers looked at each other a million questions forming.

"So, theoretically, it could be used for data transfer?" asked Bruce.

"Theoretically." Responded the AI. Tony and Bruce shared a look.

"JARVIS, call the team in here. We have something to discuss."

JARVIS did as asked, and in the span of 10 minutes, the team was there in the lab. When they got there, Tony had 2 projections up. One of JARVIS's code, the other scanned from the sceptre. The difference was astounding. Not only was the sceptre's code huge, but it looked like it was thinking.

"Tony what is all this." Asked Steve as he stood next to Tony examining the projections.

"These are lines of code. That big one there is from the sceptre. JARVIS is just here for scale."

"So, what does this all mean?" asked Natasha walking around the room

"Down in Strucker's lab I saw all sorts of high tech weapons. Things well beyond normal crazy HYDRA stuff. I have a feeling that they were using this. If they could use it was a tool to make weapons why can't we use it to help make a tool for peace?"

"Tony, are you suggesting Ultron? Asked Bruce. Tony nodded, and the team looked concerned. They all knew of the plans for Ultron. It was going to be a global peacekeeper. Something to keep all the nasty things out in the cosmos from getting to Earth.

"Are you sure about this Tony?" asked Steve putting on his captain face.

"Look, I saw what was out there. I saw how horrible space could be. What if another invasion shows up and they couldn't get past the bouncer. I see a suit of armour around the world." Steve took Tony's hand and the rest of the team looked skeptical.

"Look, I'm not saying we use this to build Ultron. I'm saying we use it as a data transfer point. Either way, it could take days of scans before we can even look at doing that." Bruce was already on board and the team trusted Tony's judgment. They just wanted the all clear from Thor. As their resident Non-human, he was the expert on this stuff.

"What do you think Pointbreak?"

"I think you and Banner should try. It looks safe. If things start going wrong though you guys call me. I'll take the blame on this one should it backfire." Said, Thor.

Tony just smiled. "Peace in our time."

MTHS

The next three days were full of non-stop work for Tony and Bruce. Scans upon scans. Simulations upon simulations. None of their theoretical work seemed to be working. Steve would come in every few hours to check on them and to give them food and water. Sometimes he would bring Carter to cheer up the men who, like true scientists, were failing over and over again. Unknown to them, on the night of the third day, things would change drastically.

Tony had left the lab that evening to get ready for their little party that night. He spent the time getting ready with (and making out with) Steve before grabbing Carter and going up to the penthouse party space for the evening.

It was nice. People were telling stories and laughing. Rhodey had been able to make it down and was having some quality bonding time with little Carter. It was nice and calm. The atmosphere was jovial and there was food. Who doesn't love food? Tony saw talking near the bar with Thor and Maria drinking some apple juice while watching Steve and Sam play pool. Rhodey eventually came over with Carter to grab a drink and told them all one of his War Machine stories. They didn't laugh but it was still fun.

"So, where's Pepper tonight?" asked Rhodey

"Same with Jane. Where are the ladies?" asked Hill as she took a drink.

"Well, Pepper has a company to run. We have that product launch in Japan so she's there."

"I'm not even sure what country she in. Her work on the convergence has made her the world foremost astronomer."

"And the company Pepper runs if the largest tech company in the world." The two continued to bicker back on forth until Hill interrupted them.

"Well, they must be busy because they'd hate missing you guys get together. *testosterone*" she coughed and Rhodey laughed and lead her away.

"But Jane's better." Quipped Thor right as Steve approached with Sam and picked up Carter.

"Hey, little man." Said Sam waving hello to Carter. "I haven't seen you since you were a baby." Carter smiled and allowed Sam to lead him over to where the food was so that Steve and Tony could have a moment. They were making heart eyes at each other.

"You seem happy this evening. Don't tell me Thor gave you some of this ale." Tony laughed and grabbed Steve's hand. Steve gave Tony a look over. His arm was still wrapped up and would be for another week. His face was looking better but the marks were still there. It would probably take another week for them to heal and a few would likely scar.

"I'm just happy to see you smiling my Love." He replied. Tony smiled, and they went to find their son. They looked around the room and Tony giggled when he saw Natasha and Bruce blatantly flirting over at the bar.

The night moved on and most of the guests went home leaving just the Avengers, their close friends, and some take-out Chinese food. Steve and Tony were sitting next to each other while Carter sat perched on Tony's lap. It was a special occasion, so Carter was allowed to say up.

"It's a trick!" spoke Clint from the floor. He was referring to their ongoing argument about Thor's hammer.

"It's much more than that."

"What. Whoever he be worthy shall have'th the power." Said Clint all dramatically. "Whatever it's a trick."

"Well please be my guest." Said, Thor, as he gestured to Mjolnir. Clint got up and made his way over the hammer.

"Clint, you've had a tough week. Nobody's going to hold it against you if you can't get it up." Said Tony and the room laughed. Carter remained blissfully unaware of the joke and continued to play with his stuffed bunny.

Clint put his hand on the hammer and with a mighty pull…

Nothing. Tony laughed, and Clint invited him to try.

"I'm never one to shrink from an honest challenge. So, if I lift it do I rule all of Asgard." He directed at Thor

"Yes."

"Well, I shall be a firm but just ruler. It's just physics" Said Tony as he put his hand on the hammer and pulled.

And so, started the pissing contest that was the Avengers trying to lift the hammer. Everyone was putting in maximum effort. Tony even teamed up with Rhodey using their gauntlets and that didn't even work. Steve came close. The hammer squeaked but didn't move. Tony clapped him on the back when he sat back down.

"Widow, you wanna try?" Asked Clint. She just shook her head and took a drink.

"Uncle Thor, can I twy?" asked Carter in his cute little voice. Thor just smiled.

"Of course, my fiercest warrior."

So, Tony picked up Carter and made sure he had a good grip. He kneeled down on the floor so that Carter could reach. Carter wrapped his left hand around the handle of the hammer. It didn't even come close to wrapping all the way around. It was so cute.

"Alright Bambino, on the count of three. 1. 2. 3." And on three Carter pulled with all his might.

And picked up the hammer.

The room fell silent. Carter just looked so proud of himself. Thor rushed over and picked him up Lion King style.

"He is worthy!" he shouted, and Carter giggled. Tony and Steve looked so proud. Naturally, Carter would be worthy. He was their perfect little boy. After that Carter got tired from all the excitement and Tony took him to bed. When Tony returned the group continued to joke around until all hell broke loose.

Everyone heard a metallic ringing in their ears. When they turned around they were all face to face with a mangled Iron Legion robot. It was spouting off about how they weren't worthy. How they were all killers and Tony was very glad he had taken Carter to bed. The bot kept talking, almost like it was confused. Tony tried in vain to contact JARVIS, but nothing was working. The bot said he killed someone and that just confused everyone else. It just kept stammering and talking until Thor spoke up.

"Who sent you?" he demanded. All the bot did was playback an audio clip.

"I see a suit of armour around the world." Well… that was a shocker.

"Ultron!" commented Bruce

"In the flesh." And from there he just kept talking and talking until an entire arsenal was unleashed upon the room. Unfortunately, the room was full of Avengers, military, and former SHIELD agents. Ultron didn't stand a chance. It was chaotic and destructive but in the end, they were able to beat off most of the bots. The downside, one was able to fly off with the sceptre.

"What the hell was that?" yelled Steve. "I thought you guys were still running simulations?"

"We were! I have no idea what just happened!" said Tony as he clutched the bloody bandages on his arm. There were cuts from glass and he probably popped a few stitches.

Steve looked angry but when Bruce was able to confirm exactly what they were doing he calmed down a bit. They went up to the lab where Steve changed Tony's bandages while he and Bruce tried to find out what happened.

"It's gone. Everything is gone. All our work is gone. The security footage is gone. It's all gone. Escaped through the internet. Who knows where he is." Said, Bruce, as he stared at a bunch of blank screens.

"So, what do we do now?" asked Natasha. "Can't we get JARVIS to help us?" Tony just bowed his head and couldn't meet any of the team's eyes.

"Remember when Ultron said he killed someone." He mumbled

"Yes, but there're no casualties reported." Said, Steve, as he tried to get Tony to meet him in the eye.

"Yes, there was." Said Tony somberly. He pulled out his phone and brought out a projection of JARVIS's mainframe. Well, what was left of it. The programming was so mangled that the team could hardly tell that it was JARVIS. Tony was trying so hard to put on a brave face but let a single tear slide when Steve went and hugged him. JARVIS had been with Tony through thick and thin. It hurt just as much to lose AI JARVIS as when he lost human Jarvis. After a moment of mourning, Thor returned to the room after having left briefly to search for the sceptre. All eyes turned to him.

"The trail went cold about a hundred miles out. No sign of Ultron."

"You have anything to explain this big guy?" asked Clint from his perch.

"If what Stark and Banner said was true about their work we may have to assume that this was a spontaneous event caused by the sceptre. We'll have to do more searching, but simple scanning should not have caused this." Spoke Thor as he looked at the remains of what was once JARVIS. Everyone was silent until Tony spoke up.

"This is all my fault."

"Tony it's not your fault." Said Rhodey as he walked closer to him.

"No! it's my fault. If I had just paid closer attention to things. If I had stayed in the room while J ran more simulations. If I hadn't been so stupid and suggested this idea in the first place…" his voice rose then tapered off. To those who knew Tony well, they knew a panic attack was approaching and they needed to calm him down.

"Tones, it's not your fault." Said Rhodey as he gave his friend a hug. "None of this is your fault. JARVIS was NOT your fault. Got it. It was a spontaneous event. Not your fault."

"He's right darlin'. None of this is on you. You couldn't have predicted this." Said, Steve, as he rubbed a hand up and down his boyfriend's back

"But I feel like I should have been able to. Like I should have seen this coming. Something bad is coming. Something big. I know it is. How were you guys planning to defeat that." Tony's eyes were wild and on the verge of panic.

"Together." Was Steve's simple answer.

"We'll lose."

"Then we'll lose together too. Look, guys. How about we get some sleep and regroup in the morning when we've all had some rest." Everyone nodded and slowly made their separate ways. Steve, Tony, Bruce, and Rhodey stayed in the lab just a little bit longer to give a bit of a memorial for JARVIS. Tony kept a brave face, but on the inside, he was crying. Steve held him close as they made their way to bed. It was going to be a long night.

MTHS

The next morning, they regrouped after breakfast. Tony had sent Carter off to spend some time with Laura Barton. The Barton house was low tech and would be the safest place for him. Carter was sad to say goodbye to his Papa and Daddy but was excited to see Auntie Laura and his cousins.

Hill was able to get them caught up on the information she had discovered during the night. Apparently, the Maximoff twins had teamed up with Ultron and were scavenging for something. They had even killed Strucker in his cell as a message to the team. Because all their data on Strucker had been deleted, the team were going through all the paper data like it was a crime show from 1969.

"Any idea who this guy is?" asked Bruce as a file got passed around.

"Ulysses Klaue. Operates black market arms off the Ivory Coast." Responded Tony as he gave the file a once over.

"How do you know that?" asked Steve. No accusations. Just curiosity.

"From back in the day. Stane tried to introduce me at a function. I didn't sell him anything. Can't say if Stane did or not, but I didn't." Said Tony defensively. They all took a closer look at the pictures of Klaue and Thor pointed out that he had a strange burn on his neck. Bruce ran a search and found out what it was.

"It's a work in an African dialect meaning thief."

"What dialect?" asked Steve

"Wankanadin… w w w Wakandan." Steve and Tony shared a knowing look.

"Howard told me he had the last of it." Commented Steve. Tony just shrugged.

"Wait! What comes out of Wakanda?" asked Bruce.

"Vibrainium." Answered Tony.

"We need to find this guy." Said, Steve.

"Well, he's probably still in Africa." Responded Tony.

"Alright team, wheels up in 30."

MTHS

The plane ride was noisy for the first half. Tony flew the plane and Steve started making a battle plan with the team. The second half was another story. Tony continued to fly the plane even though others had offered. Steve sat close by to keep an eye on him.

"I'm going to fix this." Promised Tony, breaking the silence of the jet.

"Love we've been over this. It's the same thing we all said yesterday, and what I told you last night in bed. This. Is. Not. Your. Fault." Steve punctuated each word to make a point. "Nobody here blames you. We will fix this, but it is not your fault. Alright." Tony just nodded, and they sat in silence for a few more moments.

"I just feel like I should have been able to prevent this. Like if I had concentrated more I should have seen this coming." Argued the genius.

"Tony, it's not like you can see the future. I know you. I know what you're thinking. You did nothing wrong so stop stressing about it." And that was the end of that conversation. But Tony knew. He should have known this was going to happen. It was like something inside his very being was screaming at him about it. To just concentrate more so he can see all this. But there was this other part. A more dormant part of his being, that was telling him to let go. To just let this go from his soul. Unfortunately, Tony Stark was a stubborn son of a bitch and just couldn't let things go.

Once the jet landed on the edge of the woods the team suited up to disembark. Bruce was to stay on the jet unless he was specifically needed for a code green. They were close to a heavily populated area and didn't want to take the risk.

Once they entered the ship where Klaue was hiding they were quick to locate him. And there with him was Ultron and the Maximoff twins. They saw Ultron chop off Klaue's hand and they could hear Ultron as they got closer.

"Do Not Compare Me To Tony Stark! He's a sickness. A disease."

"Um, rude." Said, Tony, as the team got Ultron's attention. They kept talking, fighting each other with verbal swords and shields. It really seemed like they were targeting Tony personally. Especially the super twins.

"So, what the vibranium for?" asked Tony preparing to fight.

"I'm glad you've asked that because I wanted to take the time to explain my evil plan."

And from there all hell broke loose. Ultron directly attacked Tony with a magnet pulse and shot him into the wall. Tony got right back up and the two began an aerial battle. The rest of the team got busy fighting the other murder bots and the Maximoff twins. The room was filled with gunfire and shouting. It was almost hard to see what was going on. Tony took the fight with Ultron outside, Steve and Thor worked in tandem to take out the murderbots and Pietro Maximoff, Nat and Clint continued to work from the shadows, and Bruce began to question his sanity when he lost the com signal.

Thor was the first to be put under Wanda's spell. At first, he thought he was fine, but then he saw his kingdom fall. Seeing Heimdall's eye's like that and hearing the screams of his people would have completely broken a lesser person the Thor. Natasha was next. She was forced to relive her childhood in the Red Room. She remembered the graduation ceremony and began to dwell on the life she could have had.

And then there was Steve. Steve was transported to an extravagant ballroom filled with happy dancing couples. He looked down and he was clad in his military dress uniform. There was swing music and laughter in the air. He walked forward until he was stopped.

Stopped by his lost love Peggy Carter.

"Are you ready for our dance? The war's over Steve. We can go home now, but shall we dance first?" she asked, and Steve was more than happy to take her hand and lead the way. They danced with joy and reckless abandon. The war was over. He could start a family and finally be happy. He could settle down. He didn't need to fight anymore. Steve smiled and held Peggy closer. They danced in their own little world until they were rudely interrupted by a three-year-old boy.

The tiny child tugged at his pant legs and gave the universal signal for wanting to be picked up. Steve hesitated. He felt like he knew this kid. But, how could he? He didn't have any kids nor did any of his friends. Even so, he still had this extremely paternal feeling cover him like a blanket. This kid was his, but he didn't understand how. Hell, the kid didn't even look like him. The kid had these unruly chocolate curls and big doe eyes. Steve was the exact opposite of this kid. He was just about to pick up the kid he was interrupted for a second time. This time by a voice.

"Carter, stop bugging your Papa and come over here, Bambino."

Steve turned around and was brought face to face with the most beautiful man he had ever seen. He was short, about Howard Stark's height, and his eye's shone with… was that love? There was a light shining out from under his suit. Actually, he looked a lot like Stark. Maybe he was related? The man looked at Steve and smiled. Steve felt breathless as he walked towards him completely forgetting Peggy and their dance.

"Steve, you don't need a war to define you. I love you just the way you are." Said the man as he took Steve's hand. Steve smiled. He felt like he knew this man as his heart fluttered in his chest. The little boy in the man's arms gave Steve a kiss on the cheek, and that's when everything clicked for Steve.

The people before him were Tony Stark and Carter Stark. He boyfriend and son. His family. Peggy was his first love, yes, but these people were his entire world. All this dance hall crap was an illusion. A vision cause by that Maximoff girl. Steve's world was waiting for him. He just needed to get back to them. Steve blinked, and the illusion was gone. It was time to go find his team.

MTHS

While the team struggled against Wanda's visions, Tony had a problem of his own. He had Ultron pinned against a boat when he was warned that The Hulk was on the loose. Nobody called in for a code green so what the hell happened. He blasted the Ultron bot to smithereens and flew up to check the damage. He saw The Hulk making his way towards the city and the Maximoff twins close behind. This must have been their doing. Tony had to stop this before it ended horribly. He used his suit to search for and locate The Hulk. He found him tearing a city street surrounded by terrified civilians. Clint was quick to tell him that the team was compromised and that he wouldn't have back-up. It was time to call in VERONICA, better known as the "Hulk Buster"!

The pieces of the containment chamber fell around The Hulk, keeping him contained while the pieces of the Hulk Buster armour assembled themselves around Tony. He landed just as The Hulk escaped his containment and continued to smash up his surroundings.

"Stop it! That little witch is messing with your head. You're faster than her. You're stronger than her. You're Bruce Banner! You're my science bro." said Tony trying to calm him down All he got was an angry roar in response. "Alright! Alright! Don't mention puny Banner." And so began the Hulk vs Iron Man fight. Many had asked the question of who would win in that fight and they were about to have an answer.

The answer was Iron Man, but barely. He won and was able to calm Bruce down, but it was at a cost. The property damage alone must have been valued in the millions and there were a lot of terrified civilians left in their wake. The Avengers were in serious trouble. They would have lots of explaining to do once they got in contact with the UN and WSC. None of this was their fault. The team knew this, but the public sure didn't. This sucked and all because of that little witch.

They were all flying on the jet back home when Hill gave them the news. It wasn't great, but it could work. Lay low and work from the shadows. Clint took over flying the jet. He was the healthiest out of all of them and was one of three people on the jet who knew the location of the safe house. The other two were Tony and Natasha. Natasha was fast asleep in one of the benches, Bruce was curled up in a blanket, Thor was pacing back and forth, and Steve sat with Tony rebandaging his arm. It helped clear Steve's mind a bit.

"You helped me break out of that vision." Said, Steve, as he took the opportunity to snuggle up to Tony.

"How so."

"You were just there. Well, you and Carter. Just seeing my family helped me fight off whatever that was." Steve smiled and closed his eyes. Now seemed like the perfect moment to get some rest and with Tony running his hand through Steve's hair, he was out like a light.

They arrived at Clint's farm early the next morning. Clint put down the jet and the team walked across the field and to the front door. Clint, who was supporting Natasha, lead the way with Tony and Steve not far behind. Thor stuck to the back to keep an eye on Bruce. Steve, Thor, and Bruce were a bit confused as to where they were but trusted Clint's judgement.

Tony had been to the house only once before. Back when Carter was still a baby, Clint had invited him down to meet Laura and his kids. They were nice, and Laura was so helpful with the baby. Clint's children Cooper and Lila were super sweet and loved playing with their "cousin" Carter. Now Tony and Steve really didn't have any secrets between them. This was one of the only ones because Tony made a promise to Clint years ago. So colour Steve surprised when Clint's kids came running to say hello to their dad and Uncle Tony.

"Carter's sleeping although all this noise probably woke him up." Said, Laura, as she walked into the room. Tony nodded and left to retrieve his son. Steve decided to follow.

"Care to explain." Said, Steve, as he grabbed Tony's waist. Tony huffed but explained anyway.

"This is nothing to do with not trusting you Steve. Barton told me about this all when Carter was first born. He trusted me with his secret so that he could keep his kids safe. It was a case of fewer people knowing the better. It wasn't my secret to tell. He only told me because superhero dads need to stick together. I couldn't break his trust." Said, Tony, as they made their way upstairs to where Carter slept when he was here. Steve paused for a second. He understood completely. This wasn't Tony's secret to tell and he would have lost all of Barton's trust and a safe house for Carter if he had. Tony just wanted to keep people safe. He always had.

Carter, on the other hand, didn't care about the drama one bit. He had his Daddy and Papa back again and they were having jam on toast for breakfast. All was well in his world. All the Avengers though were a bit stressed. Thor left early to try and find more information about his vision so there were only five Avengers there for breakfast. The Barton Family never had to worry about not having enough food or things they needed. Tony had been secretly wiring Laura money every month so that she always had enough to take care of the kids. This worked out great seeing as the Avengers didn't really get paid and Tony and Bruce were really the only ones on the team with jobs. Tony had all his SI stuff and he had Bruce employed in RnD in their medical division so that they always had new science to work on together. It kept Bruce happy knowing that he was helping change the world through medicine.

After breakfast, Tony and Steve took all the kids down to the lake to hunt bugs so that the other adults could have some time to decompress and relax. It was fun. Cooper ended up catching a salamander in a mud bed and Lila and Carter, being closer in age, made mud pies. They spent the whole morning doing this. When they got back they got the kids cleaned up and it was time for lunch. Bruce had made some soup and sandwiches that were warmly received. After lunch, Carter went down for a nap and Tony and Steve offered to try and make a dent in the large wood pile outside.

"I don't like this. It still feels like this was all my fault." Said Tony chopping a log in half.

"Not this again Love. We've been over this. It's nobody's fault." Said Steve and he too chopped a log into pieces.

"I know. It's just my brain won't shut up for a second so that I can process what's going on. I just need a distraction, so I can focus on something else." Mumbled Tony.

"Well, how's this for a distraction?" said Steve. When Tony looked over at him Steve took a log from the pile and proceeded to rip it in half. With his BARE HANDS! How incredibly macho and sexy. Tony had to work hard to suppress a moan.

"Really Steven. Unless you wanna go right now in the cornfield." Steve just laughed and hugged his boyfriend. Unfortunately, their hug didn't last long as Laura came to ask Tony if he could help fix their tractor. Who was Tony to refuse?

"Be careful of your stitches!" yelled Steve ash Tony walked away.

"I will mother hen." responded Tony

When he got to the barn he was surprised to find none other than Nick Fury waiting there for him.

"I take it Hill called you."

"She did. So. what do you have to say for yourself Stark?" grumbled the former director.

"Well, if Maria's called you then she's filled you in on the situation. Apparently, none of this is my fault." The "even though it feels like it is." Was left unsaid.

"You always were sensitive Stark. Even when you were a kid."

"Yes, use my youth against me. Look, Nick, I want to make this right and I'm at a loss."

"I don't have all the answers you need Tony. I'm just an old man who cares very much about you. You really are Peggy's godson."

"I'm also the man who killed the Avengers."

"That was just a vision."

"No! It wasn't a vision. I was shown. I felt it. Everyone was dead. This giant threat killed everyone… because of me. I could have done so much more to protect them. But I didn't. I wasn't ready. This wasn't a nightmare. It was my legacy. The end of the path I started us on." Panicked Tony.

"You've come up with some pretty impressive things Tony. War isn't one of them." Spoke Fury with authority.

"I watched my family die in front of me. Felt the loss so deep in my heart that now my face and arm are scared for life." As he tried to keep his voice even. Yup, he was going to have another breakdown in the near future.

"And the worst part was that you were the only one left." Tony wanted to give a witty comeback, but his voice had decided to stop working. Nick noticed this and intervened.

"I'll go get your stupid boyfriend. You're getting yourself too worked up son." So, Fury left to go retrieve Steve while Tony took a seat on a bale of hay. He barely noticed when Steve sat down next to him and pulled Tony onto his lap in a hug. They spent some time just talking and calming Tony down. Mostly trivial things like how the construction of the new Avengers facility was going, and when they should move in. Calm things to keep Tony calm.

After the little heart to heart in the barn, Steve and Tony made their way up to the house for dinner. It was spaghetti and meatballs so more of the sauce got on the kids than in them. The adults took a moment to clean up the kids before a desert of Natasha's homemade cherry pie was plated up for dessert. It was oddly domestic for the dire situation. After the kids had been sent to bed for the night the team thought up a plan. After some more razzing of Steve over his "language" comment, they had just that. Tony would go to the Nexus to find out who or what was changing all the nuclear launch codes and if they could be trusted. Banner was going back to the tower to wait for the rest of them. If they found any biological material they needed him to be ready. The others were going to Korea to find Doctor Hellen Cho, so they could protect her. They all agreed to try and get a few hours sleep before take-off. Clint stayed in his room with his wife, Bruce and Natasha took the pull-out in the living room, and Tony and Steve took the guest bedroom. Nobody got much sleep.

MTHS

The next morning, after saying their thank-yous to Laura and good-byes to the kids, they were off to try and save the world. Steve and the others took off in the jet while Tony began his flight to Oslo in the suit. The flight was long but when Tony hit the ground he was ready to go. Gaining access wasn't that hard. All he had to do was flash his fancy Avengers badge and explain the situation and he was in. It wasn't really that hard to find out what was going on once he got searching, and once he found what he was looking for he made his way back to the tower to wait for further instructions with Bruce.

Meanwhile, poor Steve has getting beat up by Ultron while trying to retrieve the cradle. They were successful, but in the process, Nat was snatched away by Ultron. And, to add insult to injury, that girl, Wanda Maximoff, felt the need to insult Tony. She only knew about the pre-Afghanistan Tony. The playboy the public saw and what that persona stood for. Not the Tony Steve knew. Not the kind, caring father. Not the survivor. Not the man who gave a bunch of misfits a home and only wanted to protect them. So yes, Steve was a little-pissed off when he ordered Clint to take the cradle back to Tony and the lab.

When Clint arrived at the lab with the cradle it was a bit of a shocker. When he and Bruce were able to take a peek inside it was astounding. A body made of tissue and vibranium with this glowing stone at the head. While Tony and Bruce gave it a good look over, Clint left for one of the lower levels to try and track down Nat.

"We need to work on taking this thing apart. I'll start with the tissues, you can work on the programming." Said, Bruce, as he inspected the cradle.

"Um… about that."

"No!."

"Just trust me on this."

"Tony…"

"Look our ally. The one protecting the nuclear codes. I found him." And with that Tony was able to bring up a very much intact projection of JARVIS. Bruce was thrilled. From there Tony was able to tell Bruce what had happened and what he planned. Bruce wasn't convinced, but Tony knew with his gut that this was right.

"Look, that stone in there. It's powerful. It's just… I'm not sure how, but I know this is the right thing to do. I knew this was going to happen. I can't tell you how I knew, but I do. You've trusted me so far Brucie-bear. I need you to trust me now." Said Tony.

"Alright fine. But if this goes south it's on you."

So, they worked. Bruce taking care of the biology side of things while Tony took care of the mechanical side. It looked like controlled chaos in the most literal sense. It wasn't easy. They were under an extreme time constraint with a lack of materials and knowledge. Either way, it was working. Until they were interrupted.

"Um… What's going on here." Asked Steve as he as the Maximoffs walked into the room. Steve walked over to Tony so that he could take a look.

"Why are they here?" asked Bruce taking a few steps back.

"We're here to stop Stark from ending the world with another one of his weapons." Spoke Wanda.

"Listen, I don't know who you think I am, but I don't do the whole weapons shtick anymore." Sassed Tony while he explained to Steve what he was doing.

"Why should we listen to you Stark? You're nothing but a filthy murderer." Spat Pietro.

"You know nothing." Responded Steve.

"We know that He's the one responsible for the bomb that killed our parents. Only the worst kind of person would ever make a child an orphan." Spoke Wanda, and something inside of Tony just snapped.

"Now listen here." Seethed Tony walking towards the twins. "Back when Sakovia was having its revolution, American soldiers and weapons contractors weren't even involved. I never sold any weapons to anyone in that revolution. You wanna know who did? His name was Obadiah Stane and he was dealing under the table for his own gain. I had no say where that bomb ended up. That was on him and he's dead now. Just because I designed the thing doesn't mean that I was the one who pulled the trigger. And you two are giant hypocrites. You say to make a child an orphan is the worst. Well, if you had killed me and my team you would have made a few more orphans. Think about that bitch!"

Watching Tony defend himself like that was… incredibly hot. If the world wasn't trying to end itself and there weren't so many people present, Steve would have taken Tony right then and there. Stupid murder bots always stealing his fun. So what? Steve hadn't had sex in about a week and it was starting to get to him. Sue the guy for thinking his boyfriend was super sexy.

Unfortunately, Steve was ripped from his fantasies when Pietro used his powers to run and unplug one of the cables on the cradle. They all started fighting, the Avengers trying to protect the cradle and the twins trying to destroy it.

"Why did you even bring them here?" griped Tony as he dodged a blast of energy from Wanda.

"They said they wanted to take down Ultron. I may have made a poor judgement call."

"Ya think?"

Tony and Bruce were working on trying to save their work while Steve and Clint held off the attacks from the twins. That was when Thor decided to show up and pull a Frankenstein and used his lightning to shock the cradle. Everyone in the room watched in awe as this red being burst forth from the cradle and proceeded to throw Thor across the room. He didn't mean too of course. It was just that moment of panic where you gain sentience and a body all at the same time. He apologized of course, as the rest of the Avengers and the twins walked closer to get a good look. They berated Thor with questions and that's when they found out the news. The stone at the center of Vision's head was the Mind Stone. One of the infinity stones. Great just what they needed, another fucking infinity stone.

"Why does he sound like JARVIS?" asked Steve taking Tony's hand in his.

"We configured JARVIS's matrix."

"So, you're not Ultron?" questioned Steve.

"I'm not Ultron. I'm not JARVIS. I am something completely new."

They all continued bickering all while Tony stayed silent. He's just lost JARVIS again. It wasn't getting any easier to lose him. Every time felt like a stab through the heart. Steve, the amazing man that he was, picked up on Tony's grief and pulled him closer. JARVIS was like a child to him and losing him again was honestly the worst feeling in the world. And even though Vision said he wasn't JARVIS he still came from JARVIS and Tony couldn't help feeling a little bit of pride when Vision picked up Thor's hammer to hand it to the man.

With Vision's knowledge of Ultron, they were able to devise a plan of attack. They didn't have long. Steve gave them three minutes to prepare. Steve was already ready to go so he helped Tony install one of his new baby AIs into the suit. He chose one of his newer ones. A sassy girl named FRIDAY. Before they entered the jet, Tony pulled Steve off to the side for a moment alone. They pulled each other into a sweet embrace.

"No matter what happens today, remember that I love you." Whispered Steve as he brought Tony into a kiss.

MTHS

Once they landed in Sakovia it was go go go. Their main priority was to clear the city of people. They didn't want innocents to get caught in the crossfire. Everyone was doing their part while Tony left to go find Ultron. He found him in the church at the center of town.

"Have you come to confess your sins?" asked a metallic voice behind him.

"I don't know? How much time do you have?" quipped Tony to avoid panicking. They kept talking and suddenly a drill like object sprang up from the earth.

As well as dealing with helping the people to safety, now they all had to deal with Ultron's legion of murderbots. They swarmed around from all sides and the team had to use their full strength to hold them off. As Vision arrived to fight Ultron, Tony took the opportunity to get some shots as the bots from the air. That's when things got dicey. Sakovia became air-born. So, not only were they trying to save as many people as possible and fight murderbots, but now they were going for a ride. Oh, joy!

Tony was able to get FRIDAY to get a good scan on the floating city. It didn't look good. If this thing got high enough they were looking at global extinction. They had to fight off Ultron and fast. Tony flew back into the fray. It was back to the original goal, save as many people as possible. Steve and the others were taking care of the murderbots while Tony tried to work out a way to get the city back down to the ground without killing everybody. No pressure.

All the fighting was exhausting. Everyone was working as hard as they could. The only problem was, they were still flying higher and they needed to get all these people to safety. Unfortunately, that may not be an option. In order to save the world, they needed to blow up the city and that would kill anyone on it.

So thank fuck for Fury, Hill, and Rhodey coming in with one of the old hellacarriers. Rhodey and Tony were able to attack from the air while the other Avengers worked on getting the people trapped in the city onto the life ships. While Rhodey and SHEILD got the rest of the people onto the ships the Avengers lead the remaining murder bots to the church to protect the core. If it dropped early they were doomed.

"Is that the best you can do?!" shouted Thor as Ultron hovered near them. Ultron just gestured and summoned a hoard of murderbots.

"You had ta ask." Deadpanned Steve as he glared at Thor.

The bots all came charging at once. The Avengers were all fighting for survival. Bots were trying to leave the city and Rhodey took them out with a vengeance. Steve ordered the rest of the team to make their way off the city while looking for stragglers. Wanda would stay to protect the core while Thor and Tony took out the rest of the bots and ultimately the core itself. With a plan in place, everyone got to work.

"Steve." Spoke Tony over the coms.

"What is it."

"No matter what happens. Remember that I love you."

"Tony don't do this!"

"Please take care of him, Steve. I know Carter needs both of us but if he can't have his Daddy make sure he has his Papa."

"I love you, Anthony."

"I love you too Steven."

And with that Tony cut their communication. It was not or never. Once they were given the all clear, Tony gave Thor the go-ahead to hit the drill while Tony fired off a blast from his chest. The city plummeted. Steve was able to make the jump onto one of the life ships. He watched the city fall down until it was enshrouded with a blue light. Then it exploded. Steve didn't see any sign of Tony.

"Tony!" he yelled over the side off the ship as it flew towards the hellacarrier. "TONY! ANTHONY!" Steve was screaming himself hoarse. He needed to know it Tony was alive. If he was alright. When the ship landed Steve ran off and collapsed onto the tarmac of the main ship. If he had just lost Tony then this was the worst day in history. Steve couldn't stop the tears from falling. Nothing could console him. Steve probably wouldn't even get closure with seeing Tony's body. It would take a miracle for Steve to be able to work through this.

Thank God they had an actual god on the team. Thor landed on the tarmac not too far from Steve with the Iron Man suit in his arms. As Thor gently set the suit down Steve went running. He skidded to a halt and knelt down to rip off the faceplate. A gush of water flowed out to reveal Tony's face. It was covered in cuts and burns and he wasn't breathing. Steve ripped off the rest of the suit and started CPR, all while he was crying up a storm. Thank fuck the arc reactor wasn't broken this time.

When Tony coughed up water and took a ragged breath Steve just cried harder and held his boyfriend close. Tony would get to live another day. He would get to see his son again. He would get to continue loving Steve with all his heart. They won that day and Steve vowed to never let his little family go.

MTHS

A few weeks later they were all moving into the new Avengers compound upstate. Clint was staying home with his wife, kids, and new baby for a bit before they all moved into the compound. There was still no sign of Bruce. They had invited Wanda to train to become an Avenger. She was doing well even if Steve and Tony were still cautious around her. Trust had to be earned. The new facility was amazing. It was split into three sections. There were the research and offices for when UN and WSC members came by. Another wing was devoted to training and medical with new state of the art equipment. The last area was the new personal wing. There were rooms to spare, a large kitchen and dining room, a nicer living room with more space for the growing team, a new library complete with a study corner for the kids, and an awesome rec room with a sit-in theatre and game tables. It was pretty sweet. Tony knew for a fact that his son was more excited about having a yard to play in than anything else.

Steve and Tony had their own little wing of the compound. Their new room was a gentle mix of both their styles with sleek metal finishes and Steve's paintings along the walls. Just down the hall were four bedrooms. Carter's was the first and it was a little boy's dream room. The walls were red and gold like Iron Man and his new sheets on his big boy bed held a dinosaur motif. Carter had his own bathroom and a big chest for all his toys. He loved it. The other 3 rooms were empty just in case they ever wanted to grow their little family or if Carter had friends over when he was older. Further down the hall was Tony's lab. He had a much bigger space now with more workbenches and a blast-proof zone for all his crazy experiments. In the far corner, near the charging stations for DUM-E, U, and Butterfingers, was a little plaque. A memorial for JARVIS.

The team was lucky. With all the footage and data gathered they were able to prove the UN and the WSC that none of this was their fault. In fact, they were congratulated for their efforts and told they would all be keeping in touch. At least that ended well.

On a sunny afternoon, while everyone was getting settled, Tony, Steve and Thor were walking through the halls making jokes about his hammer again. Thor was planning to go off-world again to search for the remaining infinity stones. He would visit periodically but this needed to be done.

"Make sure to visit soon. I know Carter will miss his Uncle Thor when he's gone." Said, Tony, as they stepped outside.

"I'll be sure too. I'm just a little worried. The Mind Stone is the third infinity Stone to show up in the last few years. I still sense on here on Earth and I know there are others out there. If we can find them, we can keep them safe."

"Sounds like a plan big guy." Said, Steve, as he patted Thor's shoulder.

"Well, until next we meet." Said, Thor, as he called the Bifrost and we transported away leaving behind a burnt pattern in the grass.

"That man has no regard for lawn maintenance." Griped Tony looking at the burnt grass in front of him. They walked a little more around the compound ending up near the lake. It was nice just the two of them. Tony turned towards Steve holding his hands.

"Do you think we'll be alright?" he asked.

"Of course we will." Said Steve pulling Tony into a kiss. "We're home."

* * *

Holy Shit! That was a roller coaster of emotions. And this whole thing was 23 pages long! WOW! I'm really hoping that you've all seen Infinity War at this point so that the references to Purple Joss Wheden aren't that big off a shocker. Things may not make perfect sense with what I'm doing now, but they will. All in good time. If you've seen IW, you'll get what I'm working towards. In other news, have any of you played the game What Remains of Edith Finch. Holy Crap that game was so good. It blew my mind. 10/10 everyone should play. Well, enough about me, next chapter is a bit of an interlude before the thing I've been working on fixing since chapter 6, the dreaded Civil War. I assure you I did find a way to fix it. Until next time -Shadows


	15. We're in this together now

Welcome to the interlude. All the fun things that happen between this chapter and civil war. Now with 100% MORE PUPPIES! I hope you enjoy this happy chapter before shit hits the fan once again. Have Fun!

* * *

Living at the compound was so much different than living at the tower. To start with, there were way more people living there. The team had grown with the new additions of Rhodey (who had transferred over from the air force), Sam, Wanda, and Vision. As well Clint had moved in his family. The compound was much safer than the old farmhouse and it was closer to better schools for the kids.

Speaking of kids, Tony had a bit of a weird relationship with Vision. Vision came from JARVIS and Tony made JARVIS so technically he was Vision's Grandpa. He had a three-year-old and he was only 41. Tony Stark was too young to be a grandpa. Steve, however, thought that this was hilarious.

All that aside, the team was looking for an excuse to celebrate. They didn't really get to celebrate after the defeat of Ultron. There was too much cleaning up to do and they had to disclose what had happened to the UN and WSC. So, with all this, they really needed an excuse to unwind. A week before they officially moved to the compound they were given the perfect excuse.

Tony remembered that day as one of the happiest days of his life. They were packing up the tower and getting ready to move to the new compound. There were boxes everywhere and a bunch of tired superheroes. Because they were tired and hungry the decided to order pizza and turn on the news for some background noise. Carter was on a beanbag chair flipping through a picture book about cats while the rest of the adults were chatting away. That's when the news came in.

Same-sex marriage was now legal in all 50 states.

Everyone looked to Tony and Steve to see how they'd react. Tony was the first to show any emotion. He started off laughing hysterically then quickly devolved into tears. Now, the great Tony Stark rarely cried in front of anyone, the only people he did cry in front of being Steve and Rhodey, but this moment warranted some tears. Tony had been treated like shit since he was a teenager because of his sexuality. Steve had to hide all through his youth for fear of death. Now, they could finally be free. Steve finally cracked and started crying too. The duo just sat there hugging as the rest of the team cheered and laughed joyously. So yeah, that was a good day.

So fast forward a few weeks after they had all moved into the compound and were itching for a reason to throw a get-together. They all set aside an evening in the middle of July to have some fun. They had a potluck style dinner with everyone making something different. There where stories shared and smile all around. As the night went on they played some games and watched movies in the games room. And at the end of the day, when Tony and Steve left the group to go sit outside to look at the stars, they could truly say they felt free.

MTHS

Even with having the best kid in the world and an amazing boyfriend, there where still days where Tony struggled. Sometimes the nightmares where just too much or someone would make an offhanded comment that would set him off. It made him exhausted. On the best days, Tony could contain all his emotions and use them to make new things down in his lab. On the worst, he would try to lock himself away. Steve had suggested that he talk to someone who wasn't him. A professional who had dealt with people in similar situations. So, that's how Tony Stark found himself in Sam Wilson's office.

"Stark, from everything you've told me and with our lifestyle, I think you would benefit from having an ESA." Said Sam at the end of their session.

"A what?" asked Tony.

"An ESA is an Emotional Support Animal. Typically people in your situation have one. They help keep you calm and active and provide emotional support when you're alone. Plus it helps to talk to someone who will always listen, can't judge you, and will love you no matter what." Said, Sam, as he began writing on some very official looking paper.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"I think it's the best option you have. You said yourself that you would prefer not to go on medication because of the risk of addiction. Stark, you've done a lot for the team. You deserve to get some sleep." Said, Sam, as he passed Tony the paper and a business card with an address on it.

So, that's how one-week later Tony found himself and Steve outside an animal shelter that trained ESA animals. They had spent the last week discussing the pros and cons of getting a cat versus getting a dog. After hours of conversation and research, they decided to get a dog. Getting a dog just seemed to fit in better with their family and lifestyle. The added bonus about getting a dog was that Carter was very very excited about getting a dog. Carter loved dogs. Dogs in movies, dogs in books, dogs at the park. If there was a dog Carter loved it. So, getting a dog was a no-brainer.

When they entered the shelter they were greeted by a lovely lady with brown hair named Susan. She took a good long look at Tony's paperwork and asked him a few questions before she lead the couple back to the kennels. There were so many different dogs, and Steve and Tony had a great time getting to know them. There was one dog that stood out to Tony, however. Susan almost didn't bother to introduce her to Tony because she was on the shy side. The dog in question, a ten-month-old German Shepard Husky mix named Curie.

It was a match made in doggy heaven.

Not only did Curie share her name with fellow Nobel laureate Marie Curie, but she was also cute as a button. She was white with blue eyes like a Husky, but she also had the black markings of a German Shepard. It was Curie who approached Tony first to say hello. Susan said that she had never done that with anyone before. The two instantly took a liking to each other. So, at the end of the day, it was Curie they brought home to be Tony's new ESA.

The team loved Curie. She was a little angel. Carter was thrilled to have a dog and she gave the family an excuse to take walks around the lake together. Tony was actually starting to feel a bit better on a day to day basis. Yes, Steve was an amazing boyfriend who would help him with anything. But, there was something to be said about a dog's innate ability to calm people down. During the day Curie could almost always be found at Tony's side. She must have been a magical dog because she somehow managed to keep Tony's stress levels down. Tony's favourite thing about Curie, however, was because she was technically a service dog, Tony could take her to all his boring board meetings that Pepper made him attend. He still didn't like going to the meetings and would bitch about them to Steve in bed at night, but having a dog there made them so much more tolerable.

Maybe getting an ESA was a good idea after all.

MTHS

Not that Tony was starting to feel a little bit better and the team were all settled and comfortable in their new home, they were able to settle into a comfortable routine. It was nice. It was like when they were living at the tower but with way more space and a bigger team. Everyone did their part to make life at the compound enjoyable. They all trained together, ate meals together, played together. People took turns babysitting the kids, so their parents could have some alone time. Everyone even helped with homework. Of course, it helped to have 2 MIT graduates living under one roof.

Steve and Tony had even slowly begun to talk about maybe having more kids someday. Not right now! Carter was enough of a handful. But, maybe in a few years once everything has settled down a bit more and Carter was in school. Unfortunately, they had a knack for not talking about this in privacy. No, sometimes Steve and Tony would talk about this stuff on the living room couch in the middle of the afternoon. That's what brought them into a very weird situation.

It was mid-November when Thor finally came back down to visit. Carter was over the moon with excitement and as soon as Thor entered the building he was dragged away by the three-year-old. Steve and Tony took that as a blessing and took a moment to relax on the couch with some coffee.

They talked about all sorts of things. Tony wanted to take his family on a vacation to his mother's hometown in Italy. Steve told Tony about some of the new artwork he was working on for the hallways of the compound. It was nice to just have some time to be adults. They loved Carter to pieces, but even adults need alone time. Eventually, their conversation drifted once again to maybe adding another child to their family in the future. That was when Thor conveniently decided to enter the room. He had just put Carter down for a nap and wanted to talk with his friends.

"What is this I hear about you guy's wanting more children." Said, Thor, as he plopped himself in the chair opposite the couple.

"In the future, sure" replied Steve as he rested his head on Tony's shoulder.

"I may be able to assist you with this endeavour."

"If you could give a reference when we decide to apply for adoption I will buy you Pop Tarts forever." Smiled Tony.

"I can do you one better. I am more than just the God of Thunder. I am also the God of Fertility. As my friends, I would be more than happy to bless you. So which one of you is the bottom?" asked Thor quite seriously. Steve just stared at Thor looking a little confused. Tony, however, caught on immediately to what Thor was offering.

"It's a tempting offer Point Break, but Steve and I want to wait just a little bit longer before having another kid." It was best to let Thor down gently.

"That is fine my friends. The spell can be performed at a later time if you wish." Steve still looked confused. The poor guy still hadn't caught on.

"It's not that Thor. I um… I dealt with the uh, "pregnancy" with Carter and those were the most stressful 9 months of my life. I'm not sure I could do that again."

"But the end result is a beautiful baby, is it not?" Tony was starting to get a bit frustrated. Thor wasn't getting the hint and Steve was still lost.

"Alright Thor, I'm just gonna lay this all out on the table. I love you, you're an amazing friend and teammate and I trust you with my life. But, I really don't want to have to deal with some Fan Fiction Mpreg shit for 9 months." Said Tony as calmly as possible. That's when Steve finally got with the program.

"I'm sorry! WHAT!"

Thor just smiled. Told them that he respected their decision and that he would be there should they change their minds before changing the topic to some sporting event that was going on.

MTHS

Having the mixture of a yard and a toddler naturally meant that Tony and his family spent plenty of time outside. It also meant snowmen and snowball fights once it started to snow. This was a little more difficult for Steve and Tony. They both had a bit of a phobia of the cold. Steve because he was frozen in the arctic for 70 years, and Tony because of the cave back in Afghanistan. Tony also had a bit of a problem with heat due to the same kidnapping so any building he was in as well as his suit were climate controlled. Little Carter didn't know any of this and he kept pestering his parents to take him outside.

So Steve and Tony had to man up and go outside in the snow with their son. They didn't go alone of course. No, they brought Sam, Clint, and Clint's kids out as well to keep an eye on them while the kids played. Tony lasted all of 20 minutes before he had to go in. Steve lasted 21. They really were trying but they knew that had to try and explain things to Carter when he got inside.

Once Carter was inside and warming up with some homemade hot chocolate, Steve and Tony sat him down and explained why they couldn't go outside with Carter all the time while it was cold. Carter understood most of what he was told. He loved his dads and just wanted them happy. That night, Carter pulled all the blankets off his bed and gave them to his dads so that they would stay warm. Carter definitely got his large heart and capacity for love from Tony that was for sure.

Also, now that Carter was older he was able to experience Christmas with that wonderful child-like wonder that Tony never really got to experience. He was also at the age where Tony could start doing traditions with him. Because Tony was raised Jewish as well, he tried to incorporate some of those traditions so that Carter could learn them. So, in addition to making gingerbread houses and decorating the big tree in the living room, Tony also played the dreidel game and lit a candle on the menorah every night. It was Tony's way of honouring the Jarvis's and all they went through in the war to be able to celebrate and teach Tony these traditions.

Unfortunately, no matter what Tony taught Carter, nothing could ever measure up to the pure excitement and hell that was trying to get a toddler to bed on Christmas Eve.

"Dad! We should double check that we left cookies and milk out for Santa!" yelled Carter as he tried to escape from his room for the fifth time in ten minutes.

"Carter, the cookies are there. I promise. We put them out together and I had FRIDAY show you a picture to make sure they're there. Santa will get his cookies." Said Tony as he picked up Carter and tucked him into bed.

"Carter, remember, Santa won't come if you're still awake." Chided Steve as he gave Carter a kiss goodnight.

The little family said their goodnights and Tony and Steve left Carter's room so that he could fall asleep while the adults got to hang out for a bit. They were all gathered in the living room to play games and have a few drinks while the children were asleep. It was nice. It was Vision's first Christmas and he was eager to learn about traditions from the others. Wanda made them all some Sakovian dish that was some sort of fried dough. Rhodey and Tony told embarrassing stories about each other from their MIT days. And Clint decimated everybody at darts. It was a really good night. And, once Steve and Tony got to bed, the night got even better.

Until they were rudely woken up at 7 am by a very excited toddler.

"Daddy! Papa! You gots to wake up! It's Christmas!" screamed Carter as he jumped all over the couple.

Carter didn't have much trouble dragging his parents out of bed. Tony and Steve had gone to bed early for this reason. Once they got to the living room the little family started making breakfast for the other residents of the compound. Chocolate chip and blueberry pancakes. A special treat. They were quickly joined by everyone else. Breakfast was quickly eaten and soon the floor was covered in wrapping paper as the kids tore into their presents. Carter was over the moon when he unwrapped the giant Lego brick set that Santa had given him. He had inherited his dads love of building things.

The adults were a little bit calmer about it. ONLY a little bit. They took the time to tank each other and laugh along the way. That year, Steve had gifted Tony a personal art piece of them holding hands. Steve always gave him handmade stuff. Tony was so touched by Steve's gift that he hoped his was enough.

When it was Steve's turn to open his present from Tony, he was handed a small box. Steve excitedly opened it. Inside was a gold chain necklace with a misshapen hunk of steel on the end. He was a tad bit confused until Tony explained it to him.

"That there is a piece of the very first Iron Man armour. The very same armour that saved me in Afghanistan. It's a piece of me and I wanted you to have it." Steve smiled the biggest smile he ever had given and pulled his boyfriend into s crushing hug.

It was a very good Christmas that year.

MTHS

Winter soon turned to spring and the weather became warmer. When Tony wasn't working he was spending most of his time outside playing games with Steve and Carter. They would often play fetch with Curie or take family walks around the lake. It was nice and calm. No big bads had been found. Sure they took down a HYDRA cell here and there, but it was still quite calm.

It was the first week of April when Tony made an interesting discovery when he was dicking around on the internet. He came across this video of a person dressed in red and blue swinging on some sort of string and stopping small crimes all over Queens. They even stopped a bus with their bare hands. This person obviously has some sort of super-human modifications. So, he got FRIDAY to start digging to try and find anything he could about this person while he showed everything he had to Steve. A few days later FRIDAY was able to give them a name and some information.

Their masked vigilante was a 14-year-old kid named Peter Parker.

"I think we should train this kid." said Tony as he and Steve looked over the information FRIDAY had given them.

"Like make him an Avenger?"

"HELL NO! Kids way too young. I'm saying we teach him how to fight and protect himself. Teach him responsibility." Said, Tony, as he looked at Steve.

"Why don't we start by sending him an email? It doesn't look like the kid's parents know about this, or they do, and they don't care." Spoke Steve as he got up to get a snack.

"Sounds like a good place to start. I also want to make that kid a better suit ASAP. It can't be safe running around stopping bad guys in a hoodie and sweatpants"

"Just be careful. It looks like Senator Ross is looking for a reason to fight us and screw us over. He doesn't even have any jurisdiction over the Avengers. He's definitely up to something."

"I completely agree. Did you see him at the last WSC meeting? He's total up to something sketchy." Laughed Tony as he got up to follow Steve.

Little did they know about how correct that last statement was.

* * *

So this was the last chapter before Civil War. Be ready to meet some familiar faces next chapter. I highly suggest going back and reading all the chapters before this because a) you'll need the knowledge from them with how I handled the government. And b) so many things will start to make sense next chapter. I promise. I hope you enjoyed this little slice of life chapter before the storm hits. As always comments are my lifeblood and I love all of my readers for supporting me.

Until next time -Shadows


	16. Crash and Burn

Chapter warning incoming! This chapter is violent. What else would you expect from civil war? It's violent and there are some character changes. You'll see once you read it. I've been working on fixing this movie since chapter 5 so I'm over the moon excited for you guys to read it. This chapter is a little bit more Cap-centric because this is a Captain America movie after all. Also, this is a movie chapter so a little bit of the dialogue is taken from the movie. I think Y'all know the drill by now. Well, I'll leave you to it. Enjoy.

* * *

A week ago, FRIDAY had spotted a HYDRA cell hiding in Lagos. They spent the rest of the week planning on what to do. It was decided that Steve would take Nat, Sam, and Wanda with him to take it out. The others would remain behind as back-up. Tony wasn't really even able to go on the heist. He had a prior commitment to do a speech at MIT. Everything looked like it would be routine. Go in, take out the cell, deliver the HYDRA operatives to the UN and WSC. That was the plan. It should have worked fine.

But it didn't.

They didn't expect it to get that messy. They didn't expect Rumlow to have rigged himself with explosives. They didn't expect that the force of the explosion was going to be so powerful that Wanda had trouble controlling it. They didn't expect to accidentally blow up an office building that day.

They weren't in trouble with the UN or WSC. They did nothing wrong. They had a plan and followed it. The bad guys just got one good hit in before they left. Not a whole lot they could do. The jet ride back to the compound was subdued. They were all feeling a bit stressed. Wanda more than the others. Steve put the jet on auto-pilot before he pulled out his phone to give Tony a call. Maybe he would have something to say that would calm them all down.

"Hey Honey! How did the mission go." Asked Tony over the phone.

"We took a bit of a hit." Huffed Steve.

"What happened? Is everyone alright?"

"Physically yes. Mentally, not so much. There were some civilian casualties in an explosion. Wanda tried to stop It, but it was too much." Sighed Steve.

"I take it that she's taking it pretty hard."

"Yeah. She is."

"Here, pass the phone to Wanda. I wanna talk to her." Steve got up to hand the phone to Wanda. While she and Tony talked, Steve helped Sam clean up his wings just so he could keep his hands busy. Steve didn't know what Tony said to her, but when Wanda handed him back his phone she looked less pale and a little less stressed. It must have been Tony's calming dad presence.

"Thanks, Tony." He said when he got his phone back.

"It's nothing. So how are you doing after all of this?"

"Not great honestly. When I was facing off with Rumlow he mentioned Bucky and I just froze up." Steve paused for a second. "I'm sorry Tones. It's just, he was my best friend and he's hurt but he also killed your mom. I'm sorry for mentioning him." Stammered Steve as he curled up in his chair.

"It's fine Steve. I get it. If I were in the same situation with Rhodey I'd feel the same. I don't have any ill will towards Barnes either. I've had years now to figure out my emotions and do my own research. I don't blame Barnes. Blaming him would be like Wanda blaming me for killing her parents." Soothed Tony on the other end of the line.

"Thank you, Love. You sure know how to make things better. So how did your presentation go today?"

"Uh… It went okay. The BARF tech worked as it was supposed to." Mumbled Tony.

"Alright what happened?" asked Steve.

"Nothing, the demo went well. I helped fund a whole bunch of research projects. It was good." Stumbled Tony. Steve frowned.

"Tony. Something happened. I can hear it in your voice."

Tony sighed. "I'll tell you when you get home."

"Okay, I'll see you soon. Love you, Anthony."

"Love you too Steven." And with that Tony hung up and Steve got back to piloting the plane.

When Steve got back home, they were greeted by the Avengers who had stayed behind. Steve practically ran to Tony and scooped him into a hug. They ended up having a large stew for dinner before the tired team made their way to bed.

"So what happened during your presentation, Tony." Asked Steve as the two crawled into their own bed after making sure Carter was tucked into his own.

"I got accused of causing this lady's sons death in Sakovia." Huffed out Tony as he laid his head on Steve's chest.

"Tony, we've been over this. Sakovia and Ultron were not your fault. You are not responsible for any of that."

"I know. It's just hard. I want to be better and I want to do better. I can't do any of that when people won't let me." Sighed Tony as he cuddled closer to his boyfriend.

"Who cares what they think. I know you and I know that you always strive to do better. You're a good person Anthony. No matter what happens, I love you." Said Steve as the couple fell into a restless sleep.

MTHS

A month later things started to go downhill. The news kept replaying the story of what happened in Lagos. The current King of Wakanda, T'Chaka, wasn't too pleased with them, but once he learned the story he accepted their apology and offered to help them should they need it in the future. The team had meetings with the UN and WSC about what had happened and they all come up with a plan. Although, even with a plan in place, it still didn't help everyone's moral, especially Wanda's. Different Avengers spent time talking to her and working through what had happened. Tony even let her have Curie for a few days in the hopes of helping. Vision was the best though. He and Wanda had been hanging out a lot the past few months and were always ready to help each other.

Steve was just finishing up having a conversation with Wanda when he got a text message from Tony.

Tony: so you know how I had that meeting with Ross today.

Steve: yes… why?

Tony: He's coming back with me. He has this document called the Sakovia Accords. None of it was approved by the UN or WSC. I checked. Warn the team. I think he's going to try something.

Steve: will do. See you soon darlin'

Steve closed his messages and quickly told the team what was going on. They were worried but they assembled in the meeting room anyway to wait for Tony and Ross. Ross was sketchy to begin with. Between his over interest and borderline hatred of Bruce and his obsession with Tony, he was a creep. And he wasn't just interested in Tony like other people normally were. No, it was creepy how interested he was. It just made Steve feel more possessive over his fella. Tony was his and he wasn't about to let anybody mess with him.

When Tony and Ross arrived Tony took his regular seat next to Steve so they could talk. Tony ended up taking Steve's hand under the table and knocking morose code on his knuckles. Ross just kept on yammering on about useless stuff none of it was making sense and the team were noticeably antsy about the whole thing. None of them trusted Ross. After he finished his story he then proceeded to bad mouth the team. Called them dangerous and a threat. He was right, the where dangerous, but not to the average citizen. They fought to protect everyone on Earth. Hell, they'd been working with the UN and WSC for years. They weren't breaking any rules. When Ross started playing back footage from all their battles Tony stopped his tapping and tensed up and his hand started shaking. That was when Steve drew the line.

"With all due respect Senator Ross but what's the point of this?" said Steve as he gave the eyebrows of disapproval.

That was when Ross brought of a copy of the accords. He kept saying that it was UN sanctioned and that the Avengers needed to be put in check. The UN thing was fake news, Tony had told him that much. So, the team just sat there agitated while Ross failed to shut up! From what Ross was saying, it sounded like he wanted to take control of the Avengers. He had no right to do so. He gave them three days to make up their minds on signing them and then Ross left the room to go back to where ever the hell he came from. They moved to the living room so they could talk while somewhere more comfortable. Tony took up the whole couch just to lay down.

"Headache?" asked Steve as he moved Tony's feet onto his lap. Tony just nodded and the rest of the team got situated.

"Alright, kids let's get this show on the road." Mumbled Tony. "So none of that garbage crap that Ross said was true. When he told me about the accords I excused myself from the room to look into it. I called our UN representative and she confirmed that it was fake. There are no accords. We're still in the UN's good books and they want us to look into Ross. Something about him just smells fishy." Spouted off Tony as Clint passes him an ice pack for his head.

"I knew there was something off about that guy." Shouted Clint as he took his seat. Tony winced and Clint apologized.

"So what do we do now?" asked Sam.

"We start digging. Find out everything we can about Ross and take him down." Snarked Tony.

So that's they started to do. They all sat together in the living room working through files on Ross that FRIDAY had begun to dig up. They worked together sharing information. Until Tony was interrupted by receiving one of the worst texts imaginable from his cousin Sharron Carter.

His Aunt Peggy had just passed away.

Rhodey was the first to realize something was wrong when he saw Tony's face drop.

"Hey Tones, what's wrong? What did you find?"

"I uh… I just got a text from Cousin Sharron. I um… I… I have to go." Stuttered Tony. He got up to leave and was quickly followed by Rhodey and Steve. They wandered into an empty stairwell where Tony proceeded to break down. Tony showed Steve and Rhodey the text and after 5 minutes, there were 3 very upset people in that stairwell.

After a while, Rhodey went back to let the rest of the team know what was going on. Tony and Steve just sat there and continued to look sad. They eventually made their way to their room where they laid down and just cuddled with each other. It was going to be a rough few days.

The next day Steve, Tony, Carter, and Natasha were on a plane to London to attend Peggy Carter's funeral. The little family had brought along Natasha to help watch Carter for them. She had offered and they couldn't turn her down.

The day of the funeral was grey and gloomy. Just like Steve and Tony's mood. That morning they helped each other get dressed in straight black suits. Nothing flashy, just basic suits. Natasha helped get Carter ready. He didn't understand why his parents were so upset. All Carter knew was that he had to stay with his Auntie Nat and be on his best behaviour.

When they arrived at the church Carter went to sit with Natasha while Steve and Tony went to find Sharron. The two cousins took a moment to hug before things got underway. Tony and Steve were two of Peggy's pallbearers as well as some old SSR and SHIELD agents. It was sad and the couple had a hard time not crying.

"Now, I would like to invite up Margret's God-son Anthony, to say a few words." Said the priest. Tony got up from his seat next to Steve and made his way over to the podium. He took in a deep breath and began.

"People knew Margret Carter as a founder of SHIELD, a visionary, a kickass fighter who took no shit from anybody. I just knew her as Aunt Peggy. I know the world will want to remember her as the strong woman. A woman who was independent and could hold her own no matter what. But I'll remember someone different. I'll remember the woman cheered the loudest at my graduation, the woman who snuck me cookies as a kid, the woman who only ever wanted to protect me." Tony took a deep breath and tried to get his emotions in check.

"My favourite memory of my Aunt Peggy has to be this one time when I was seven. I had just gotten home from boarding school that afternoon and I was exhausted. I remember unpacking my clothes when Aunt Peggy walked into my room. I didn't even know she was visiting. She told me to grab my swim trunks and a towel and she whisked me away to the lake for the day. It was the most fun I'd had in a long time. She got me ice cream and told me silly jokes. Howard was so mad when we got back, but it was worth it. That's the Peggy I want to remember. The woman who taught me love and compassion. The woman who was brave and daring. The woman who was so important to me that I named my son after her. That's the woman I want to remember." By the end, Tony had let a few tears loose and he looked a little pale. He sat back down next to Steve and cuddled Carter on his lap for the rest of the service.

After the service, Tony, Steve, and Sharron took a few moments together for reflection. It was tough on them. Peggy Carter was a ray of sunshine in their lives, and now she was gone. They set out back to the hotel for the rest of the night. Tony and Steve just spent the night keeping each other company. Soon they would have to go to Vienna to meet with the UN on what they were going to do with Ross. For now, though, they just wanted each other.

MTHS

The day of the meeting started off normal. Steve and Tony got ready together as the normally did before they made their way to the car that would take them to the UN building. They were halfway there when they saw the explosion. The team instantly went there to help. They couldn't find any bomb residue and King T'Chaka of Wakanda was dead. It didn't look good. Somebody was out to get them.

Tony had FRIDAY run facial recognition on the area where the bomb went off. She found two matches. One for Ross, and one for Bucky. But the one for Bucky was only a 69% match so they weren't certain on that, but they knew one thing for sure. This was definitely HYDRA's work. Now the team had their work cut out for them. Not only did they have to take down Ross and catch Bucky, but now they also had to keep T'Chaka's son T'Challa from taking down Bucky in revenge. They had to work fast.

Using all the tech they had, they were able to track Bucky down in a small apartment in Berlin. They had orders from the UN to detain him and find out what happened. If this was HYDRA like they thought it was, then Bucky would know for sure what was going on.

Steve made his way into Bucky's dingy little apartment to wait for him to get home. He took a moment to snoop around before Bucky got back. On top of the fridge, he found a black leather book filled with notes. Steve took a moment to go through it. That's when Bucky entered the room.

"Do you know who I am?" asked Steve.

"You're Steve. I read about you in a museum." Mumbled Bucky.

"I know you're lying. I promise you're safe. The Avengers won't let anything happen to you."

"I wasn't in Vienna. I don't do that stuff anymore."

"Steve!" Steve heard panic over the coms. "We have HYDRA agents incoming. You need to move now!"

Before Steve could warn Bucky about the incoming attack, the front window was smashed open and HYDRA agents stormed the building. They were surrounded by a hail of bullets as Steve tried to pull Bucky to safety. That didn't quite work and they found themselves surrounded by agents as they fought their way down the stairwell. They eventually made their way onto an adjacent rooftop where Bucky was attacked by some guy in a black catsuit. Great, this was just what they needed.

"Sam, Tony, could use your help right about now."

"Be right there Stevie. What's going on."

"Nothing, just being attacked by this guy dressed as a cat."

"Wait, you're being attacked by a furry?!" laughed Tony over the coms.

"You know that's not what I meant." Both Sam and Tony were giggling over the coms as they flew in to help.

They were able to bring the fight down to the ground. Bucky was fighting the cat guy, Steve was trying to help Bucky, Sam was trying to take out a HYDRA chopper that was shooting at them, and Tony was taking out any HYDRA agent he could see from the air. A simple retrieval mission they said. It would be easy they said. Easy my ass. Stupid HYDRA always had to come in and complicate it.

The fight took them to an underpass. From there they were able to lose the HYDRA agents tailing them and were able to stop the cat man from trying to hurt Bucky. Tony had called in a task force at the start of the fight and filled them in on what was happening. Luckily that task force was lead by Rhodey and Steve and Tony were never more thankful to have him in their lives. Rhodey had everything under control. They were able to get Bucky safely into a waiting UN car while the rest cleaned up the damage they had done. The biggest surprise though, was when the cat man took off his mask. The man who was trying to kill Bucky was none other than prince T'Challa of Wakanda. That was a twist.

"You should go with him." Said, Tony, as he lifted his faceplate. Steve looked exhausted and stressed. He needed a break.

"There's still work to be done here." Huffed Steve.

"What is it you tell me every time I go work in the lab. You tell me "don't overwork yourself". We're almost done here. Go be with your Bucky." Said Tony, a very faint smile played on his lips.

"I love you." Whispered Steve as he kissed Tony and drove off in one of the UN cars.

When Steve arrived back at the base he saw Sam humiliating himself in front of royalty.

"So… do you like cats?" asked Sam as he talked to T'Challa who was sitting next to a UN guard.

"Sam… really." Sam just smiled. "So, do you know where they took Bucky?"

"They took him in for a phycological evaluation. Make sure he's not a threat to himself or others."

"Thanks, Sam. I'm going to the conference room to check in with the others. See if they've gotten any leads of Ross yet."

Tony, Rhodey, and Natasha were quick to join them while they searched for Ross. Tony made sure that he was close to Steve who was completely on edge over the whole situation. They worked for an hour finding minimal information on Ross's whereabouts, but they were able to tie him to HYDRA and get the legal stuff going. After about half-an-hour, Steve started to get really fidgety so Tony pulled him aside.

"I know your stressed Honey. Talk to me. Maybe I can help." Whispered Tony has he held Steve's hands.

"I'm just worried about Bucky. It's nothing."

"It's not nothing. Steve, he's your closest friend. You're allowed to worry about him."

"It's just… I feel like me worrying about him is betraying you. You're my fella. My focus should be on you and I'm standing here worrying about Bucky." Mumbled Steve as he looked down at their joined hands.

"Steve, Bucky is your family just as much as Carter and I. You're allowed to worry. When this whole mess with Ross is over, we'll get Bucky the help he needs and I'll be there for you the whole time. Just like you've been there for me in the past. No matter what happens, I love you." Said, Tony, as he brought Steve into a hug. Steve still felt a bit guilty about his emotions, but he knew Tony would be there for him. That was just the way he was.

The team got back to work trying to track down Ross. They had a small tablet so that they could monitor Bucky's evaluations, just to make sure that HYDRA didn't break in and interfere with anything. While going through the files, Steve was taking a good look at the picture they had found of the Winter Soldier at the UN bombing. Upon closer inspection, the guy in the picture really didn't look like Bucky at all.

"Guys take a look at this." Steve passed the picture around the room. "Anything look off to you?"

"Yeah, the nose is all wrong." Said, Sam, as he tapped the picture.

"I think Bucky was framed for the UN bombing." Stated Steve as he paced around the room.

"Well, the face in the picture is partially obscured. That's why FRIDAY wasn't sure if it was him or not." Said, Tony, as he typed something on his tablet. "Guys… I think we have a problem." Tony turned around his tablet to show the group. On the screen was the footage of Bucky's evaluation. The man doing the interviews nose was identical to the one in the photograph from the UN scene. This wasn't good.

Right as the team sprung into action, a large EMP blast cut the power to the whole building. Everything was dark but they had to get moving, and quickly. Tony still had access to FRIDAY through his glasses and she was able to get them Bucky's location. It was now a mad dash to get to him before something went wrong.

The first mistake they made was to split up. Steve and Sam went to the basement to find Bucky, while Tony, Natasha, and Rhodey left to go secure the ground floor. Mistake number two, Steve and Sam forgot to bring any weapons with them. So, when the entered the basement and tried to interrogate the guy who they were sure impersonated Bucky in Vienna, they got attacked by a very much active Winter Soldier. The imposter Bucky must have done something to activate him. This wasn't good at all. Steve got punted down an elevator shaft and Sam took it upon himself to chase the imposter.

On the ground floor, they weren't doing much better. The Winter Soldier had made his way into the lobby area and was fighting civilians. Tony wasn't able to call his suit thanks to the EMP blast from earlier, but he wasn't completely unarmed. He had on one of his new inventions. A portable watch gauntlet. He was able to hit the Soldier with a few blasted before using the gauntlet to block a bullet that was aimed for his chest. Where had the Winter Soldier even gotten a gun? Tony didn't even have a chance to contemplate that question further, he was thrown over a table and onto the ground. The air was knocked from his lungs and for once Tony Stark was glad he'd remembered to have his inhaler on him.

The others didn't fare much better. Natasha was choked so bad her neck got busied and Rhodey got his head smacked against a glass wall so hard his vision went blurry. T'Challa was released from custody and went chasing after the Soldier. It was messy.

The Soldier had managed to make his way onto the roof and to a helicopter. Lucky for Steve he had made it onto the roof in time to grab onto the bottom of the helicopter and tried to use his strength to bring it back down to earth. He could feel his shoulder muscles tearing as he used all the strength he had just to anchor himself to the building. His grip was lost when the Soldier crashed the helicopter into the roof and Steve had to do everything in his power just to dodge the blades.

Steve was just about to get up to check on the Soldier when said Soldiers metal hand broke through the windshield of the chopper and began to strange him. Steve tried to get away, but both were pulled into the water below as the chopper fell off the roof. Steve was luck. He was still running on adrenaline and was able to pull himself and the Soldier to shore.

The team met them outside to help the two injured men inside. Barnes was knocked out cold and Steve was looking a little pale.

"Steven… are you aware that you are currently bleeding?" asked Tony has he got Steve to sit down on a sofa in the room they were given.

"I'm bleeding?" mumbled Steve as Tony removed his shirt. The back of his shirt was ripped and stained with blood. One of the chopper blades must have hit him. Tony just shook his head at his boyfriend and started bandaging up his back. It wasn't a deep wound but it still needed a dressing.

When Sam returned after losing their imposter's trail was when Bucky woke up. The team was silent as Steve got up to confront him.

"Steve?" asked the disoriented man.

"Yeah… which Bucky am I talking to? The man I consider a brother or the Soldier?" demanded Steve. He wasn't in the mood for games.

"Your mother's name was Sarah. You used to wear newspapers in your shoes to keep warm." Mumbled Bucky. Yes, they were talking to Bucky Barnes and not the Winter Soldier. That was a relief. Steve gave the rest of the team the signal to stand down and the room sighed with relief.

"What did I do?" asked Bucky as he looked down at his hands.

Steve and Natasha went into an explanation of what happened. From there they were able to get information about their imposter man. Bucky didn't know who he was but he remembered being asked about Siberia and where he was kept. About the other Winter Soldiers. Every last thing he knew about them. Something about that set off a series of memories in Tony's head and he came to a conclusion. This was possibly Howards fault.

"Sorry to interrupt this thing here, but I have one question. Do you remember when the other Winter Soldiers were created." Asked Tony. If his hunch was right then he was going to flip.

"I think it was in late 1991 or early 1992. I remember a retrieval mission to get the serum, but the rest is really fuzzy." Responded Bucky. Steve turned to Tony to see what he would do. This was all a touchy subject for him after all.

"This is Howard's fault," Tony whispered as his hands shook. "I remember that day. December 16, 1991. He made me pack the car before he left or else he would have beat my ass. That must have been what was in the metal cooling container. That fucking asshole! THAT MOTHER FUCKING BITCH! THIS IS ALL HIS DAMN FAULT!" shouted Tony as he kicked over his chair and stormed out of the room. Tony slumped against the wall just outside the door and tried to get his breathing and anger under control.

"Go after him, Steve. We'll keep Barnes company." Murmured Natasha. So, Steve followed his fella out of the room.

"You alright Tony?" asked Steve as he sat down next to him.

"Always." Huffed out, Tony.

"Anthony." Pushed Steve. Tony just brought his left arm up to his chest.

"My left arm feels numb. Is that normal?"

"Tony. What's wrong? That's not normal. Do we need to switch out the reactor?" worried Steve.

"No. I think I just landed in it funny. I'm just stressed. Knowing that Howard is at least a little responsible for all this is just the worst." Huffed out Tony as Steve wrapped an arm around him.

"We'll fix this. This is fixable. We have more information now. We'll track down Ross and take down the other Winter Soldiers. We'll be okay." Whispered Steve as he drew Tony in closer and kissed his hair. Both men were very stressed over this whole situation and just having this small moment to themselves was a blessing.

Unfortunately, they were rudely interrupted by Natasha throwing the door open.

"Boys get back in here. We got a hit on Ross." Demanded Natasha. They helped each other up and reentered the room.

Their hit on Ross turned out to be a flight itinerary. He was leaving to Siberia from Germany in 36 hours. They needed to get back to the States to get the rest of the team. Not only did they need to get the rest of the team, but now seemed like the perfect opportunity to recruit the new members they had their eyes on. So, they made a plan, alerted the UN, and got on the jet.

Rhodey was going to keep an eye on things in Germany for them. He was good at that kind of work. Natasha was going back to the compound to get Clint, Wanda, and Vision. They were going to need their skills for sure. Steve and Sam were taking Bucky with them to recruit this guy named Scott Lang who had this shrinking suit. That just left Tony. As much as he didn't want to do it, he was off to Queens to finally introduce himself to the Spider-kid. They had been emailing for a few weeks and he seemed like a good kid. Smart. Almost too smart for his own good. He was excited to meet him. The only reason he was even considering getting the kid was so he could quickly web up Ross and his lackeys before people got hurt. That was the only reason. His dad sensibilities were going haywire. He didn't want to put the kid in danger, but they were at a crossroads. It needed to be done.

Before they got on the jet, Steve pulled Tony aside so they could have a small moment together. They really needed it after the last few days. They just needed each other. Just for a moment. That was all they needed. After exchanging a few kisses and "I love you's", they boarded the jet and took off. They had some HYDRA goons to take down.

MTHS

When they touched down back at the compound they immediately went their separate ways. Tony got into a nice sports jacket and drove one his nicer cars, his orange Audi. The drive to Queens wasn't that bad, for three in the afternoon there wasn't a whole lot of congestion on the road. When Tony arrived in front of the small apartment complex. He made sure to lock his car before he made his up to the top floor where Peter Parker lived with his aunt.

When May Parker opened her front door, she definitely was not expecting to see the famous Tony Stark. She let him in of course and offered him some refreshments. Tony was quick to explain why he was there. Some of it was a lie. He didn't tell May about the whole Spider-kid thing. He just told her that Peter had been accepted as an intern at SI and that they were doing a trip to Germany the next day and he needed to discuss things with Peter. He acted all surprised when May told him that Peter hadn't told her anything about this. Still, this was Tony Stark, and if Tony Stark said that he wanted Peter as an intern, she was going to let him have the opportunity to learn from one of the smartest people on Earth.

Tony and May started discussing the terms for Peter's "internship" and they hashed out the details. Tony really did want to help train Peter. He was a bright kid with an amazing future ahead of him. Tony wanted to give him the means to attain that future. They decided that after the "conference in Germany", Peter could start visiting the compound to work with Tony as soon as his final exams were done. That wasn't for another month, but Tony could wait. At least May Parker was really cool about all this. It didn't take a lot of convincing to let Tony take Peter to Germany. She didn't know the real reason, but she wanted Peter to learn. The two kept up their discussion until Peter got home from school.

When Peter got home he was shocked to find Tony Stark sitting on the living room couch talking to his aunt. Peter had completely freaked out back a few weeks ago when he got his first email from Tony Stark. He had idolized the man since he saw his speech about shutting down weapons production at SI years ago. So, when Tony Stark emailed him about the Spiderman thing and wanting to train and help him he was over the moon. He just didn't really understand why he was here now. Tony said that he wanted to start stuff in the summer once school was out. The fact that he was here now meant that something had come up.

While they talked in the living room Peter was more than awkward. It was a little bit funny. But how could he not be awkward when Tony Stark was making casual conversation with your aunt in the living room of your apartment. Thankfully, Tony suggested that they talk alone about the "internship" so that Aunt May didn't have to see any more of his teenage awkwardness. He loved his aunt but he knew that she would tease him about this later.

"I uh, hate to be rude Mr. Stark, but why are you here?" Peter asked.

"Look kid. I know you weren't expecting this, but we have a problem. There's a bit of a HYDRA situation and we, The Avengers, need your help." Exasperated Tony. He really didn't want to do this.

"Wait! You need MY help?"

"Yes. Now, we don't have a whole lot of time. Let's take a look at your suit." Peter grabbed a broom handle from the corner of his room and hit the little trap door in his ceiling. A ball of red and blue fell into his hands and shamefully handed it over to Tony.

"So this is the suit. Wow, it needs a complete overhaul. How do you even see through these?" Tony picked up the goggled and held them to his eyes. "Ah! I'm blind!" Peter snatched the suit back and Tony just laughed.

"So Spiderling, I know you've got that web stuff. If that from you or did you make it?" asked Tony

"I made it."

"Wow! The tensile strength is amazing. You should be proud." Peter beamed at the praise. "Tell me what you need to make it and I'll make sure you have the materials on the jet."

"I'm sorry, what! What jet?" asked Peter as he and Tony sat on the bed.

"I'm taking you to Germany. It's alright you aunt already gave me permission to take you." Stated Tony.

"I can't go to Germany!"

"Why not?"

"I've got… homework." Mumbled Peter.

"I'm going to pretend you didn't just say that. Look, Peter, why is it you do what you do?" Peter took a second to think before opening his mouth.

"It's just, I want to look out for the little guy because for a long time there weren't a whole lot of people looking out for me. I want to help people that need it. Before he passed my Uncle Ben told me "With great power comes great responsibility." I've been given powers. Shouldn't I use them to be responsible? Isn't that your whole thing? Responsibility? I can't just stay on the sidelines and watch people get hurt." Said Peter and Tony nodded along. He understood what this kid was saying.

"Peter, listen, you're a smart kid. You have a good head on your shoulders and the only reason I'm here is because we're at a bit of a cross roads. We need more hands to take down this HYDRA cell and we want to do it as peacefully as possible because of what's at stake. I can't really promise anybody that it will be done peacefully, but I can make a promise to you. Once school's out you can come spend some time with me and the other Avengers at the compound. You'll get the training you need so that you can be more accountable for your actions and so that you can continue to grow as a person. So what do you say Pete, you in?" asked Tony has he put a hand on Peter's shoulder. Peter didn't even hesitate on his answer.

"Yes, Mr. Stark! Yes! Absolutely! I promise I won't let you down!" Peter was practically jumping up and down with excitement. Tony got up to open the door and was just about to turn the door knob when Peter accidentally hit his web shooter in his excitement, trapping Tony's hand against the door. Peter threw his hands to his mouth in surprise and started apologizing profusely.

"You gonna help me out of this kid?" deadpanned Tony.

"Yes yes yes. Sorry, Mr. Stark." Panicked Peter as he helped Tony out of his webbing. Tony them handed Peter a piece of paper.

"Alright kiddo, this is my personal phone number. I trust you not to share this with anyone. Shoot me a text tonight with the things you need. I'll be beck here in the morning to pick you up. Be ready to go by 6am." Peter nodded and smiled. This was the coolest thing ever.

"Sure thing Mr. Stark." Tony smiled, thanked May Parker for her hospitality, and left so that he could start to prepare the things he would need for the fight against HYDRA. Peter was a good kid. Tony just hoped he wasn't going to screw all of that up.

MTHS

Meanwhile, Steve, Sam, and Bucky were tracking down Scott Lang in the outskirts of New Jersey. He wasn't really that hard to find. The drive out there was a different story.

"Can you move your seat up? Asked Bucky who was sitting in the back of the car.

"No." deadpanned Sam.

"Alright you two, stop fighting or your grounded." Snarked Steve.

"Yes, dad." Snickered Sam. Bucky didn't get the joke.

"Why did you and Stark disappear before we flew out here?" asked Bucky.

"We were just checking in with each other. Making a plan. Tony and I are co-captains of the team. It's not just me this time." Smile Steve as he gave Bucky his explanation.

"Sure you were." Scoffed Sam.

"Alright, Wilson. You're grounded." Sam just laughed as they pulled up to the little house Lang was staying at.

When Scott Lang answered the door he was surprised but enthusiastic. He shook Steve's hand and almost cried as he whispered, "I'm touching freedom." Sam thought it was funny. Scott was 100% on board with the mission and had his suit packed in no time. On the way back to the compound he explained the suit and what he could do. He seemed like a good guy. Hopefully recruiting Lang was the right decision.

When they got back to the compound, the others were already waiting for them. Bucky followed close to Steve. He didn't know these people and he didn't know their intentions. It was best to stick close to someone he remembered knowing.

"Everything good on your end Tony?" asked Steve as he walked over to him.

"Yup." Said Tony popping the p. "We're picking up Spiderman at 6am before we leave. He sent me a list of all the stuff he needs so we should be ready to go."

"That's good to hear. We'll all keep an eye on him. Hopefully, this won't get too messy."

"Hopefully." Said Tony as he leant up to kiss Steve. Steve put his arm around Tony's back to pull him closer and smiled. Nobody else was even paying attention to them. The only person who noticed was Bucky.

"Wait wait wait." Interrupted Bucky as he caught everybody's attention. "Are you two dating? I thought you were co-leaders? When did this happen? Steve, why didn't you tell me?"

"Have you been living under a rock man? Sassed Sam as the others laughed. Steve and Tony just blushed.

"Bucky, I've been dating Tony for two and a half years now. It's public information." Blushed Steve. Bucky just stared. How the hell did the hopeless romantic that was Steven Grant Roger manage to date someone like Tony Stark?

"How?" whispered Bucky.

"What do you mean how?" asked Natasha who was standing nearby.

"Steve was hopeless with all this romantic stuff. How did he manage… this?" Bucky moved his arms in the couples general direction.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence Buck." Snarked Steve.

"Well, this is really awkward." Stated Tony. "Lets all go inside and eat something before we do a weapons check and pack up the jet."

So, that's what they did. They all ate a dinner of stew and rice before they went to the weapons room to get everything they needed. Laura had all the kids in the Barton's wing of the compound so that they were out of the way of all the chaos. That night they all slept in the living room. So that in the morning they didn't have to round people up. Well, some of them slept. Steve and Tony were curled up together on their couch. Wanda was sleeping near Vision. Scott and Clint were completely dead to the world, and Sam had himself draped over a chair. That just left Bucky, Natasha, and Vision awake. They sat in silence the whole night.

When the next day rolled around it was go time. They quickly ate breakfast and were all on the jet by 5:45. They took off and flew to an empty parking lot in Queens where they were going to pick up the Spider-kid. When Peter got on the jet he was super excited. Once they were in the air, Tony introduced him to everybody and Peter instantly got out his phone.

"Making a little video diary there, kid?" asked Tony

"I want to remember this forever!" the team smiled at him and Tony took Peter over to one of the work benches on the jet so they could get started on making more web fluid. Steve smiled at them as Peter explained how he made it and Tony taught him safer ways to do it. When Tony was in dad mode it just made Steve love him more.

"Mr. Stark, what's in that brief case there?" asked Peter

"Why don't you open it and find out." Prompted Tony. Peter walked over the case and flicked the latched open. When he opened the lid his eyes flew open. Inside was a brand-new Spiderman suit.

"Is this for real?" Exclaimed Peter and he looked over to Tony. "Is this for me?"

"Well, it certainly won't fit me." Laughed Tony. "Of course it's for you. Can't have you fighting in your old suit. This one is much safer." Peter smiled and hugged Tony. Tony just patted him on the back as a few giggles could be heard throughout the quinjet.

MTHS

They hit the ground running once they landed. They got the local police to evacuate the airport just in case things got ugly. Tony told Peter to stay hidden and out of the way until he was called. Along the way, they ran into T'Challa, the Black Panther, who offered to help them. HYDRA had hurt Wakanda and he wanted them to pay. Who were they to not accept his help. The team made their way out to the tarmac where they intercepted Thaddeus Ross and about 20 HYDRA goons.

"Well, it looks like you've called in the cavalry Stark. I must say I am impressed. The great Iron Man being desperate enough to ask for help." Taunted Ross.

"I've worked with this team for four years now. I'm not desperate, but you sure sound like you are." Quipped Tony. "Did you not get enough love growing up so you're wanting the love of my team? That's low Ross."

"Why would I want their love when I can have yours. I've heard from one Tiberius Stone that you're a good lay." Sneered Ross. Most of the team who knew what happened with Stone tensed up. They were expecting to have to restrain Tony and weren't expecting what he was going to actually do. Tony took a few deep breaths before squaring his shoulders and removing his helmet.

"You know Ross, you're kind of an ass for bringing that up. I think you're forgetting who I am. I'm Tony Stark. I've seen and survived more shit then you ever have. I'm stronger then you've ever through and I WON'T let my past define who I am!"

"Well, if you're so sure why don't you come and get me." Taunted Ross.

"You know what, I'm already out of patience. Underoos!" Tony called Peter and he flipped into the scene, webbing Ross's hands together in the process.

"Nice job Spiderman." Peter just gave him a little salute.

"Thanks. Well, I could have stuck the landing a little better, new suit and all. It's nothing! Mr. Stark, it's perfect!" panicked Peter.

"Nice trick there Stark, but I'll do you one better." And with that Ross's little army of agents drew their weapons and sprang into action.

"Mr. Stark… what do I do?" asked Peter as he ran.

"Do what we discussed. Keep your distance and web 'em up. Keep out of the fighting if you can. Got it?"

"Yes, Sir."

And with that, the battle started in full force. There were shots being fired in all directions. Clint had pulled out all the exploding arrows he had, Natasha was using her Widow Bites to her full advantage. Vision, Tony, Rhodey, and Sam were taking shots from the air while Bucky and Steve were fighting completely hand to hand. Occasionally you would see a HYDRA agent being beat up by nothing. That was Scott kicking ass at the size on an ant. T'Challa used his claws and acrobatic skills to punt agents into some of the other Avengers line of fire. Wanda took a small opening in the fighting to fling some cars at the incoming agents. Unfortunately for Tony, he chose that moment to fly too close to the ground and got hit. Wanda apologized and Tony just brushed it off. Friendly fire, it happens. They immediately jumped back into the fight.

"I've got an idea!" said Scott as he grew back to normal size.

"What is it?" asked Steve as he took a few steps back from the fight.

"Throw this," he handed Steve a little blue disc, "at this." He held a small truck in his hands.

Scott tossed the truck at the agents and Steve threw the disc at it. The truck turned into a full-sized vehicle and proceeded to explode as it hit the ground taking out five HYDRA agents.

"Sorry guys, I though it was a water truck." Apologized Scott as he reshrank himself and reentered the fight.

It was kind of surreal, new Avengers and old Avengers fighting as one complete unit. They worked quite well together even if Sam and Bucky kept arguing. Peter was going a great job of webbing up HYDRA agents from a distance and Tony was proud of him.

"Hey, Lang. Got anymore tricks up your sleeve?" asked Clint as he shot an arrow into some agents knee.

"I do, but I can't hold it very long. Just make sure I have room." The team cleared a small area for him and through the coms, they could hear the chant of, "I'm the boss, I'm the boss, I'm the boss!" before a three-story tall Ant Man was standing right in front of them.

"That's so cool!" said a very excited Peter from his hiding spot.

Giant Ant Man was able to stomp down most of the HYDRA agents from where he stood. The team took care of the few stragglers. From there the fight didn't last much longer. When the last agent fell the team congregated around Giant Ant Man as he shrank back down to normal size. He fell over and lifted his mask.

"Ugh, does anyone have any orange slices?" He asked.

"Um, better question. Where's Ross?" asked Tony as everyone looked around.

That was when they saw an armed HYDRA jet take to the air. Instantly all the fliers on the team took to the sky to bring that plane down. The shooting began instantly and they dodged every shot. Vision was the one to take out the engines on the jet and get Ross, but not before Ross got one good hit in.

The shot hit the arc reactor powering Rhodey's suit. He dropped like a brick. Sam and Tony flew as fast as they could to try and catch him. But they were too far away. Rhodey hit the ground hard shattering his spine in the process. Tony landed beside his friend and checked for a pulse. He was alive, but just barely. FRIDAY was smart and called for EMS.

"Give me back my Rhodey." Was all Tony was able to whisper as medical personal took him away to be treated back at the compound.

When the medical personal took Rhodes away, Sam helped Tony back towards the rest of the team who were trying up Ross. Tony was in a bit of shock after what had just happened. Steve held his hand as they interrogated Ross on the whereabouts of their mystery man from earlier.

"I think your friend Barnes there already knows. But, you'll be to late. They are coming, and soon, the Avengers will be no more." Spat Ross as the UN officials took him away.

"Lock him up some place secure. Maybe The Raft. He can't break out of that place." Spat Clint with anger.

"Bucky, do you know what he's talking about?" asked Steve. They needed an answer, and fast.

"There's a bunker in northern Siberia that houses the other Winter Soldiers. If they get unleashed so many people are going to die."

"Alright… so we need a plan." Spoke Tony, his face still sheet white and his breathing rough.

"I'll take Bucky to Siberia to take out the other soldiers. Tony, you can take everyone else back to the compound, make sure everyone gets healed so we can have back-up later should we need it." Commanded Steve.

"I'll do that but I'm meeting back up with you. I'm not letting you face this alone mister. No arguments." Stated Tony. Steve just nodded. "Once we get airborne I'll have FRIDAY send you a jet. I'll see you soon." They hugged and parted ways.

Once they were in the air Natasha and T'Challa grabbed the first aid kits. Most of the Avengers were fine. A few scratches here and there, but nothing too serious. Tony was the worst off. When he took off his Iron Man suit he looked down to see his left elbow was swollen. Natasha was quick to fit him with a sling and a few mild pain killers. After she left, Peter walked over and sat down next to Tony.

"You alright kid? You didn't get hit at all?" asked Tony. He looked exhausted.

"I'm fine. Not a scratch." Tony nodded his head. "Hey Mr. Stark, I'm sorry your friend got hurt. I hope he'll be okay."

"Me too kid." Tony wrapped his good arm around Peter's shoulder. "You did good today kiddo. You should be proud of yourself." Peter smiled shyly and Tony felt his heart glow. Peter was a good kid, he deserved to feel proud of himself.

MTHS

"I feel horrible about this." Whispered Bucky from his seat on the jet. They were halfway to their destination before Bucky even said a peep.

"It's not your fault Bucky. You weren't in control of your actions. None of this is on you." Said Steve as he flew them closer to their final destination.

"I still did them." Grumbled Bucky and Steve didn't quite know how to respond. He looked down at the controls and saw that he had an incoming call from Tony. Steve pushed the button the answer the call.

"What have you got for me Darlin'?"

"So you know our mystery imposter guy from Germany. FRIDAY finally got a hit. His name is Helmut Zemo. Used to work for the Sakovian army. I guess that after the whole Ultron thing he turned to HYDRA. That would explain Ross using the accords as a way to stop us. Revenge is a good motive." Spoke Tony over the call.

"I take it you're on your way?"

"If my calculations are correct, and they usually are, I should arrive at the bunker about 10 minutes after you do if I keep pace."

"Alright Tones. Fly safe and don't take any unnecessary risks. Love you."

"Love you too." And with that, the call ended and the quinjet was once again silent.

When the jet landed it was a frozen wasteland. The snow in the air was so thick that they could barely see two feet in front of their noses. The ground crunched under their feet like shards of glass. As they approached the door, they found that it was already open. Stepping inside the bunker was like stepping inside something out of 1984. It was old and decrepit but held so much technology and secrets. The first thing they did was raid the weapons store of anything useful. They needed all the fire power they could if they were going to take down the other Winter Soldiers. The two super soldiers stood in the entrance way to wait for Tony. He arrived right at the ten-minute mark as promised and the three men made their way deeper into the bunker.

They road this rickety old elevator down to the bottom floor of the bunker. The metal smell of stale blood permeated the air as the doors opened. They made their way down this old, concreate lined hallway filled with locked doors and old, rusted sheet metal. The walls seemed to bleed with untold secrets. There were still snowy footprints left on the floor. Someone had been there recently. The hallway ended in a fork. One room on the left, one on the right. The left door was open so they entered that one.

Inside the room was a small computer set up and a viewing window. Seated in the window was Zemo. He looked smug as he watched the three men enter the room. Steve threw his shield at the window, but all it did was bounce back.

"That wouldn't work Captain. The Soviets made this to withstand the force of 100 bombs." He taunted.

"I bet you I could beat that!"

"I'm sure you could Mr. Stark. But I am more than prepared to take care of that."

"What do you even want Zemo. Why here? Why this place." Demanded Steve as he walked closer. He was almost touching the glass.

"I've dreamed about only one thing for over a year. I've studied you. I've followed you. But now that you're standing here I've just realized. There's a bit of green in the blue of your eyes." Whispered Zemo as he stared Steve right in the eyes. "How nice to find a flaw."

"You're Sakovian. Is that what this is about? Revenge for Ultron? Well, I have some news for you buddy. The Avengers had nothing to do with his creation. It was a spontaneous event caused by an infinity stone. You're blaming the wrong people." Snapped Steve.

"I'm here because I made a promise."

"You lost someone."

"I lost everyone. And so will you. An empire toppled by its enemies can rise again. But one toppled from within, it's dead. Forever."

That was when Zemo flicked a switch and the largest monitor in the set-up came to life. Tony and Bucky moved closer to get a better look. On the screen was a singular date. December 16, 1991. Steve instantly grabbed Tony's hand and stared tapping in mores code. "Let the video play. Make him think he's got us. Use this to our advantage. I'm right here." Once again the scene was laid out before them. The car crashed, the Winter Soldier killed his mom. Same as it was the first time that he was shown years ago. That didn't mean that it still wasn't hard to watch. Tony had Steve's hand in a vice grip to keep from shaking. Bucky just stood their awkwardly, his features clouded in shame. When the tape was over Tony turn to where Zemo was hiding in the observation room.

"Was that really your super-secret plan? Really. You were just working under the assumption that Steve hadn't shown me the tape when he found it and that I would lash out because of grief and tear the team apart. That's just stupid." Snarked Tony. Having to watch that tape again made him a little angry. "Your stupid little accords plan didn't work and neither did this."

"You are lucky that I thought of a back-up plan Mr. Stark."

"You know what. I am getting so tired of being called Mr. Stark. It's like the whole god damn world just conveniently forgot that I have three PH. D's and a fucking Nobel Prize. Maybe I wanna be called Dr. Stark for once." Steve just nodded. Their plan was to annoy Zemo into messing up. And it was working.

"Enough! Enough with your stupid rambling! I want the Avengers gone and I will have my revenge."

And that was where their plan stopped working. Through a side door emerged 5 recently unfrozen Winter Soldiers. The fight was on. Nobody was pulling their punches. Steve's shield was literally bouncing off the walls as he tried to hit the soldiers in the head. Bucky was shooting left, right, and center as he tried to take out the two that decided to gang up on him. That just left Tony. Normally Tony Stark could hold his own in a fight, but this was different. He had three soldiers all attacking him at once.

The first soldier went for his left arm. He could feel the metal digging into his skin as the bone beneath snapped in half as if it were made of glass. The second soldier went for his head. Tony got hit so hard his vision went blurry and he felt blood run down his face. The third soldier went for his chest. The Winter Soldiers were quick and agile for being just barely unfrozen. The third soldier was able to grab Steve's shield out of the air…

And slammed it right into Tony's chest.

Right into his arc reactor.

Tony felt breathless and incredibly dizzy but continued to fight none the less. Steve was able to get his shield back and was thankfully able to make quick work of two of the soldiers attacking Tony. Bucky got a really good shot in and managed to take out the two attacking him. That just left the one soldier who was still fighting Tony. Tony, who was running on adrenaline and spite at this point, was able to take the worlds luckiest shot. He tore off some of his broken armor and used it to stab the soldier, striking him in the neck. The soldier dropped to the ground with a thud.

Bucky was able to make quick work of taking down Zemo. Steve alerted the UN to their position and what had happened. With all the bad guys currently dead, they felt no need to stick around. The three men made their way back up to the entrance of the bunker. That was when Tony felt it. He had been running on adrenaline for so long that he hadn't really felt any of his injuries. Now, the feeling had hit him all at once. Every cut, every break, it hit him all at once.

"Steven." Slurred Tony. Steve turned around just in time to see the light of the arc reactor flicker out and Tony collapse to the cold, snow covered ground.

"Anthony!" yelled Steve as he ran to his side. He have Tony a quick once over and was able to see the damage. "Bucky! Help me get him onto the jet. We need to get him back to the compound right now!"

Steve was panicking as he and Bucky lifted Tony up and onto the jet. They placed in on the medical bed they kept in there as FRIDAY took over the controls.

"FRIDAY! Give me a report!" Demanded Steve and he and Bucky frantically gathered all the medical supplies on the ship.

"The arc reactor needs to be preplaced and fast. I'm detecting blood loss around his chest. I can remove parts of the chest plate to keep the bleeding under control and allow you to change the reactor."

Steve grabbed a spare reactor form where Tony kept them hidden on the jet for situations like this. Steve removed the damaged reactor and replaced it with the new one in lightning speed. He breathed a sigh of relief as the new reactor lit up and stayed lit. Steve then moved on to stopping as much of the bleeding as he could. The chest plate that remained was doing its job, so Steve left it alone. He made sure that Tony's left arm was elevated and the cuts bandaged. The large gash on his head would likely need stiches so Steve did what he could. He had Bucky fit Tony with a saline drip to help keep his body temperature up. The whole time Steve was absolutely panicking.

"FRIDAY, how much longer do we have?" asked Steve as he gripped Tony's good hand too afraid to let go.

"At our current speed, we should be arriving back at the tower in one hour. I've already alerted the medical staff and they will meet us in the hanger." Steve just hung his head and tried not to cry. Bucky was at a loss of what to do. His friend was hurting and he didn't know what to do. Neither of them did.

MTHS

When the jet arrived at the compound Tony was instantly taken away by the doctors. Steve tried to follow them into surgery, but he was pushed back at the door. Steve didn't know what to do. The love of his life was in surgery and might die. This was the absolute worst-case scenario. Steve was at a loss. He wanted to be with Tony. He wanted to be in there to comfort him while he was in surgery. He wanted to be there, but he couldn't. Steve felt himself slide down onto the floor and curl up into a ball. He sat there and cried for a good half an hour. About ten minutes in he felt Bucky wrap his arms around him. After fifteen, Natasha joined them. The team had been notified of what happened during the fight and they were all worried sick. After Steve calmed down a bit Natasha finally spoke up.

"Steve, you need to go tell Carter." Steve opened his mouth to protest. But Natasha stopped him. "Carter needs to hear this from you. Tony's going to be in surgery for a while and you need to clean up. I'll stay here and wait. As soon as I know anything I'll tell you."

Steve just nodded and allowed Bucky to help him up. They made their way back to the common area of the compound. They didn't talk the whole walk down. Steve took a moment to stop at one of the bathrooms to clean up his face. He didn't want Carter to see him like this.

When the duo walked into the living room Bucky was caught off guard as a small child with curly brown hair and big brown eyes came barreling towards Steve.

"Papa! Papa! Papa! You'we home!" Carter leaped into Steve's arms and Steve cuddled him close.

"Yeah, Daddy and I are home." Whispered Steve as he held Carter.

"Papa, who dat?" Carter asked pointing at Bucky.

"That's my best friend Bucky. Can you say hi?"

"Hi, Bucky!" waved Carter enthusiastically. Steve sat them down on the couch and Bucky say in the adjacent chair.

"You have a kid?" asked Bucky looking at the two.

"Yeah. Well technically, Tony has a kid that adopted me as his other father. It's a long story."

"Papa, where's Daddy?" asked Carter as he looked around the room for his dad. Steve took in a deep breath before answering his son's question.

"Carter, remember how Daddy and I left to go fight the bad guys?" Carter nodded. "Well, they were really really strong and Daddy got hurt. So, Daddy's with the doctors who are working really hard to fix him back up. Ok Jelly Bean?" Cater just pouted.

"Can we see him?"

"Not right now baby. We need to let the doctors do their work." Carter just continued to pout. He didn't understand.

MTHS

Five hours later, after Steve put Carter down for a nap, was when Steve finally got any news about Tony. He was called down to the medical wing where one of the surgeons met him to give the news.

"Mr. Stark has two broken ribs that punctured his right lung. We were able to repair it but he will need to be on a ventilator until he can breathe in his own. There is also a complete break in his left arm both his radius and ulna were snapped in half and we had to repair it. There may be permanent nerve damage but we wont be sure until the cast is off. Mr. Stark also has a concussion but with rest that should heal with time. There's one last thing Mr. Rogers. You may want to sit down for this." Steve wasn't prepared at all for what he was told next.

"Mr. Rogers, because of the extensive damage done to Mr. Starks body we had to place him in a medically induced coma."

Steve cried his eyes out at the news.

Once Steve had calmed down a bit, he was allowed to see Tony. He looked so small in the large hospital bed. He was hooked up to so many wires and tubes. There was an IV line in his good arm and a chest tube under his ribs to drain out fluid. All sorts of machines were beeping around them and there was a large tube down Tony's throat breathing for him. Steve just sat there, held Tony's hand, and cried.

Steve didn't leave Tony's side for three days. It was only when Sam and Bucky literally dragged him away from Tony so he could eat and get changed that he left. That same day, Steve was allowed to bring Carter in to see his dad. Steve had to explain all the tubes and wire to him. Carter tired to understand it all. He really did. He just didn't understand why his Daddy was sleeping and not waking up. He didn't even wake up when he gave his Daddy a kiss on the forehead. Carter didn't understand so he just cried.

On day four what when they removed the ventilator and chest tube. The doctors wanted Steve to leave the room for that by he refused. He cried the whole time as Tony's body jerked when the tubed were removed. They replaced the ventilator with an oxygen mask to make sure Tony was still getting oxygen and medication. Steve spent the night holding Tony's hand and stroking his hair.

Day five was when things turned around. Steve was sitting on the edge of Tony's bed, still holding his hand and stroking his hair. He'd been at it four hours and Steve looked like a wreck. He was about to get up and take a nap on the chair he was given when he felt it. Tony's hand twitched in his. Steve's eyes widened as he looked back at Tony. That was when Tony let out a weak cough and his eye lids flickered.

"Hey, Anthony. Darlin'. It's me Steve." Tony opened his eyes and was able to turn his head a bit to look at Steve.

"Steven?" croaked out Tony. His throat was sore from the ventilator.

"Yeah, it's me. How are you feeling?"

"Sore. Carter?"

"He's fine. He just misses his Daddy." Tony smiled a bit.

That was when the doctor came in to examine him. The prognosis looked good and Steve was thankful for that. Tony was alive, Steve was thankful. The next day Carter was allowed to visit. He was overjoyed t see his Daddy awake and smiling at him. Three days after that Rhodey came in to visit. He was wheel chair bound and Tony felt guilty. Rhodey put all his fears to rest and just wanted to spend time with his little brother. The day after that the team was allowed to visit. They all brought something to cheer Tony up. Tony was smiling more and more. Steve still hadn't left his side. After 13 day's of hospitalization, Tony was able to go back home. Tony was alive and Steve was grateful. Everything was starting to fall into place. Bucky was home, Tony was alive, and he had his family. Steve could truly say he was happy.

* * *

So the dreaded civil war is done and over. I hope you liked the changed I made. Can you tell I hate Ross? I love the fact that I could mess with him and just get rid of the ass. Now. I'm not going to say what team I was on for the actual move. I don't want to alienate readers because of a different opinion. Although, with the way I've structured this story it should be obvious. So, you're probably wondering how I was able to fix this. Step 1) Have Steve tell Tony about the video early. Gives him time to work through all his emotions. Step 2) Have the Avengers work with the UN from the beginning like smart people. Because the Avengers were in direct contact with the UN it negated the need for the accords. Plus it gave me an excuse to make Ross eviler. I love it! As a side note, I hope you all like the arrow to the knee joke. It was too good to pass up.

Now, I'm going to Winnipeg for a few weeks to help my Aunt and Papa for a bit. I don't know what kind of internet I'll have so I'm not sure if I'll be able to update. I will be able to write though. So, if there aren't any updates for a bit and then there are suddenly a whole bunch in a row, know you know why. I hope you all enjoyed my little Civil War fix-it. Until next time -Shadows


	17. Wakanda nonsense is this?

Guess who actually managed to get some WIFI while out in Eli?! ME! I'll talk about my trip a bit in the end note but for now, enjoy the chapter. From the title, you should be able to guess what's going to happen. Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

Tony was beyond relieved when he was released from medical. Being cooped up and bedridden for 2 weeks was more than enough to drive him stir crazy. Everyone was so excited when he was released that they held a little party. It was nice. The only thing that Tony didn't like was that for at least the next 5 months, he was benched from active Avengers duty. Being benched was going to be suck.

At least Tony had Steve and Carter to keep him busy. When Tony was finally taken off the portable oxygen tank he had to wear, he and Steve had a very heavy make-out session to celebrate. Other things kept Tony occupied. He and Bucky had been using his B.A.R.F. tech to control the Winter Soldier trigger words. Bucky was making great progress and was trying his hardest to control them and his life. He didn't want to go anywhere near the kids until he had things under control. Everyone agreed and they all pitched in to help. That was the perfect definition of teamwork. Working together to help each other.

Tony had also made some leg braces for Rhodey so that he could walk again. Rhodey had thanked him profusely and they quickly called Mama Rhodes to show them off. What they had forgotten was that they hadn't told her that they had gotten hurt in the first place. They got yelled at over the phone and she was on the first plane out to visit her boys. She yelled some more when she landed but honestly, she was a big help. With Rhodey having the issues with mobility and Tony only having one good arm and still having breathing problems, she was able to take over most of their workload so that the two Avengers could rest and recuperate. Mama Rhodes was a godsend.

In other news, in the few weeks that Tony was in medical, Wakanda had had a bit of a revolution. Something about some guy trying to overthrow T'Challa and take over the kingdom. He was stopped, thank god, but apparently, stuff happened and T'Challa didn't want to talk about it. After that conflict, T'Challa and his family had told the world about Wakanda. Once Tony had been released he made sure to contact T'Challa to see if he needed any help with getting outreach and education centers set up in the USA. T'Challa accepted and the two have been in contact ever since and soon enough, the Black Panther was added to the reserve team roster.

Speaking of new teammates, Scott Lang or Ant-Man had begun to move into the compound. After a lengthy talk with Hank Pym, Scott had moved up to New York and was starting to train with the team. Even more surprising was that Scott's ex-wife and daughter had moved up as well. They didn't live at the compound but Scott's daughter, Cassie, would stay with them when it was Scott's week to have her. Adding one more kid to the mix wasn't all that hard. They just had slightly bigger messes to clean up now.

The most surprising part about Scott moving to the compound and becoming an Avengers was the appearance of Hank Pym's daughter, Hope Van Dyne. It surprised everyone when she entered the compound for the first time and immediately made a b-line for Tony so they could hug and say hello.

"Um… sorry to interrupt but, WHAT IS THIS?" asked a very confused Scott. Tony used to be a playboy and Scott didn't trust him around his girl.

"I was just saying hi to my friend." Replied Hope. Tony just smiled.

"Hope and I have been friends since we were kids. Howard and Hank hated each other so we became friends out of spite. It just kind of stuck from there." Answered Tony. Everyone else just looked a bit confused.

"So Tony, I heard that you have a kid now. Want to introduce me?" asked hope as the two walked towards the living room.

Carter was all smiles as his daddy introduced him to his friend. Tony was just smirking at the looks on everyone's faces. Scott's was priceless and Tony was going to ask FRIDAY to save that picture forever to use as blackmail material. So far, all was well at the compound.

MTHS

It was no surprise what with Carter's parentage, that he would end up being a genius. He was walking and talking well before what was considered normal, and he was hitting all his milestones at lightning speed. Long story short, Tony and Steve were proud parents.

Tony wanted Carter to learn and make discoveries at his own pace. He didn't want the force Carter into anything like his father had. Yes, Tony had built that circuit board when he was 4 and his first engine at 6, but that was Howard forcing him to do that. Tony didn't really have a say in the matter. That was where some of the smaller burns on his hands had come from. No, Tony wanted Carter to do things at his own pace. If Carter wanted to paint and create art, Tony would get him supplies and watch his kid create entire worlds with only a brush and his brain. If Carter wanted to build robots then Tony would help him and keep him safe. He'd make sure Carter always had the proper safety equipment and was supervised. He wouldn't be like Howard.

Now, normally Tony and the others would make sure to clean up all their projects if they were working on them in the common areas. Tony always made sure to clean stuff up. With 4 children there under the age of 10 and Cooper Barton's curiosity, it was just safer to keep things clean.

The newbie, Scott, hadn't learnt all the rules yet.

Scott had left out some blueprints and supplies to make a small potato battery with Cassie and Carter had managed to get his hands on it. Nobody even realized that the pieces were missing until Carter ran into his parent's room to show them what he made.

Tony and Steve's jaws dropped as Carter held up his modified potato powered circuit board with pride. Carter had just turned 4 two days ago and was on par with Tony's achievements at the same age. Tony was so proud he almost cried. Carter was more than happy to show the other Avengers and Pepper his new creation. Even though Pepper was acting as his Aunt, she still had a bit of a proud Mama moment when Carter showed her the board.

Carter was an amazing kid, nobody could argue that fact.

MTHS

Once summer started, young Peter Parker started spending his weekends and a few weekdays at the compound. Peter loved every second of it. During the day, Peter would train with Steve and Nat to help build his acrobatic and defence skills. After dinner, Tony had Peter come to his lab so they could science it up. It was so much fun for the teenager. Peter was learning so much and he always had cool stories to tell his aunt and his best friend Ned.

One bit of the compound that Peter liked the most was his new room. When Peter started spending the night, Tony and Steve had given him the room at the end of their wing so they could keep an eye on him. Peter was thrilled. Tony even took him shopping for new stuff to put in his room. The room was now painted red and blue like Spider-Man and the sheets held a Star Wars motif.

Aunt May was proud of how much Peter was learning and improving and so was Tony. Peter was a bright kid. He deserved to have the equipment he needed to learn instead of dumpster diving for the chance at something to learn from. And, because Peter was technically Tony's intern and Tony didn't believe in unpaid internships, Peter got paid every week so that he could help out Aunt May. Now the Parkers could always afford food for Peter's enhanced metabolism and new school stuff, and May didn't have to work two jobs. It was the least that Tony could do for them. He wanted to do more but May had said that he was already doing so much for them that it felt wrong. So Tony just did what he could.

MTHS

The summer pushed on and with it came many surprises. Between Hope visiting and Carter making his first piece of tech, Tony didn't think that he could be any more surprised. Well, he definitely was when King T'Challa called him up and invited him to Wakanda.

Tony was positively geeking out about it. Wakanda was a technological superpower and Tony was always ready to learn new things. Tony accepted the invite without hesitation. He knew that he was going to bring Carter with him. That was a given. Steve was going on a small mission that week anyway and wouldn't be able to watch him. So yes, Carter was coming with him to Wakanda. King T'Challa had said that he could bring a few people with him, and Tony knew just who to bring.

When Tony told Peter that he was invited to go with him to Wakanda, Peter proceeded to freak out and call his Aunt for permission. She said that he could so and Peter jumped all over his room in happiness. Tony smiled at the boy and gave him all the dates and information. So, at the end of July, Tony, Carter, and Peter boarded a jet bound for Wakanda.

When they arrived T'Challa was there to greet them with a smile. He was accompanied by his mother Ramonda, his sister Shuri, who was around Peter's age, and the Dora Milaje. Everyone was excited, and after introductions were made, T'Challa invited them into the palace to look around. They saw where they would be staying and where the dining room and kitchen were. The next stop was Shuri's lab. It was like Tony had died and gone to heaven. It what an inventors dream. Shuri gave them the grand tour and Tony could just tell that she was smarter than him. That didn't bother him at all. Tony wanted the next generation to be smarter than him. He wanted them to think of new ways to solve problems that he couldn't think of. He wanted the next generation to invent new things that Tony couldn't even conceive. So yes, Tony quite liked Shuri. And, when Shuri offered to give him some vibrainium in exchange for the formula to make Yinsinium, he happily gave it to her. Who knows what she could discover about it.

"Alright Peter, I'm leaving you here with Princess Shuri so make sure to listen to her. If she says not to touch something, don't touch it. Got it?" asked Tony

"Yes, Dr. Stark." Replied the teen as he excitedly looked around the lab.

"Okay. Now Carter, do you want to stay with Peter or do you want to stay with daddy?" Tony asked his son.

"Stay with you." Replied Carter shyly.

So with that, the adults and Carter left the lab to go tour Wakanda and talk business, leaving the 2 teens to their own devices. Oh, what a mistake they had made.

MTHS

"So…" asked Shuri once the door closed, "I hear that you stay with the Avengers from time to time. Have you ever fought Captain America?"

"A few times. He helps train me in combat."

"Well then if you've fought him then you must have beat him a few times so… How did you take down Captain America?" asked Shuri as serious as possible. Peter knew instantly how to respond. He put on his shittiest German accent to respond to the question.

"Ve shot him in ze leg because his shield is ze size of a dinner plate and he's an idiot."

The two teens collapsed in giggles and it took them a few minutes to regain their ability to talk.

"Hey Shuri, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"WHAT ARE THOOOOOOOOSE?" yelled Peter as he gestured to Shuri's shoes.

"They are my crocs." She replied indignantly. The two continued to laugh.

"Hey, Peter! Look at all those chickens!" more laughter and some strange looks from other people in the lab.

"Hey Shuri, what should we have for lunch?"

"CHICKEN STRIPS!"

"Fuck yo chicken strips!"

The two continued their little rig amoral of reenacting iconic Vines for a good half hour. They thought they were being hilarious. The other occupants of the lab thought they were annoying. But, it was technically Shuri's lab so she could do what she wanted.

Eventually, the two calmed down Shuri gave Peter the ins and outs of her lab. It was so cool. Peter loved every second. Shuri even let him take a few pictures to show his classmates back home. Peter was going to have the coolest "What I did this summer" report in the history of reports.

After an hour, Shuri had Peter help her with an experiment she was working on. She was doing something with vibaranium and chemical absorption. She let Peter help out a lot. Peter was on cloud nine. Just this past summer he had learned more than in his entire school life combined. They got to talking about their lives, what they did for fun and what they liked best. That lead to the topic of Star Wars. Both of them loved the movies.

"You know I made a set of lightsabers when I was 11." Commented Shuri as they set the project to the side.

"Wait… lightsabers! Like actual lightsabers?!" shouted Peter. Shuri just smiled and reached under her desk and pulled out two lightsabers.

That was the beginning of their downfall.

MTHS

T'Challa took it upon himself to show Tony and his son the best of what Wakanda had to offer. Carter loved the market and was super excited to see all the colourful wares. Tony was excited to see all the technological advancements. T'Challa eventually lead them back to the palace so that Tony and he could talk business.

There wasn't too much for them to go over. Tony gave T'Challa all the information he needed to be a reserve Avenger. T'Challa gave Tony the information he would need to help set up the Wakandan outreach centers. They signed all the forms they needed to before they made their way back to the lab to check on Shuri and Peter.

What they saw shocked them.

Shuri and Peter were fighting each other with what looked like lightsabers.

"WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING?" shouted Tony as he looked at the two teens.

"We're fighting with lightsabers!" answered Peter.

"Are those… actual lightsabers?"

"Of course! I made them when I was nine." Smiled Shuri as they continued their fight.

"YOU'RE FIGHTING WITH ACTUAL LIGHTSABERS!"

The teens went running as Tony and T'Challa began chasing them around the lab. How did this become their life?

MTHS

As nice as Wakanda was, it was soon time for Tony and the kids to head back to the compound. Peter was super excited to tell May and Ned about his trip, although, Tony made him swear not to tell May about the lightsaber thing. Carter was excited to see his papa and to tell him all about the cool plants and animals he saw.

Tony was just worried.

Yes, he was excited to see Steve and he was cleared to have sex a week ago so that was something to look forward too. No, Tony was worried about his doctors' appointment. He cast was ready to come off and now was the time where they were going to check and see if there was any permanent nerve damage from the fight in Siberia. So, when they touched down back in the USA, Tony made sure that Peter got home safe and then he went to go see Steve after he got Carter to bed. It was late at night and the kid needed his sleep.

"Hey Darlin', how was your flight?" asked Steve as he pulled Tony into a hug.

"It was alright." Sad Tony tiredly. Steve gave his boyfriend a look over before giving him a kiss.

"You're thinking about your doctor's appointment again, aren't you?"

"What? No? How could you tell?" asked Tony sarcastically.

"Tony, no matter what the doctors say I will still love you." Soothed Steve as he lead Tony over to their bed. That night, Steve made sure to let Tony know exactly how much he loved him.

The next day was the one Tony was dreading. His doctors' appointment. Tony didn't trust doctors on principal. When he was little and Howard had hurt him enough to be sent to the doctors, they would always listen to Howard's explanation of what happened. Never Tony's. Some of that probably had to do with money, but still. Either way, Tony Stark did not like doctors.

As much as he didn't want to, Tony let Steve drag him to medical for his appointment. Tony was nervous the whole time the doctor was talking Tony was barely listening. He knew what the doctor was going to do. They were going to take his cast off using a small cast saw and then check his nerves using small electroshocks. Nothing big. Tony didn't really pay attention as his cast was cut off. Steve was holding his free hand tight and Tony tried to focus on that. After the cast was off, the doctor and physiotherapist to a moment to massage out the muscles and clean his skin. When they began placing the electrodes on his arm was when Tony began to panic. He gripped Steve's hand harder and did NOT look at his left arm.

"Tony, no matter what happens remember I love you. The results of this test will never change that." Soothed Steve as he looked Tony in the eyes.

The test itself felt weird. It felt like his arm was buzzing with the occasional twitch. It felt like it lasted forever and Tony was glad when it was over. That was when Tony began to worry in earnest. He needed to know the results. He needed to know what was going on with his arm. He needed to know if his life was going to change for the worst.

"Well, Mr. Stark there's good news and bad news. The bad news is that there is some nerve damage that will result in a bit of an arm tremor. The good news is that it's not in your hand. You should be able to continue to work in your lab but you will need to take more breaks. The tremor and damage could spread if you don't take care of yourself."

Tony let out a breath. Alright, this wasn't that bad. It could be worse. He could still work in the lab. He could still play games with Carter and teach Peter. He could still be Iron Man. Tony just needed to be careful. His grip lessened on Steve's hand and his shoulders sagged in relief. This was an obstacle that they could overcome. Steve and Tony smiled at each other. They could make it through this. They had each other after all.

* * *

I hope you guys liked the chapter. I love meme lords Shuri and Peter. I had to do it. If I didn't my friends would kill me.

So in other news, my trip is going well. I helped my aunt run her antique store and I've spent time with my papa. My aunt has 2 cats that just love me and I'm going out with my grandma and cousins this weekend for my 20th birthday! Yay me!.

So, I hope the chapter was good and that you enjoyed it. Something a little calmer after that chapter. Anyways, the next big movie to cover in the story is SMHC and that's next chapter! I hope you'll all like the little changes I'm going to make.

Until next time -Shadows


	18. I'll keep you safe

Hello friends and welcome to the SMHC chapter. Sorry, it took so long. I was on vacation and as you can see, the chapter is long as shit. It's sort of going to follow the movie, but with a few changes. There will be a few POV shifts between Peter and Tony for this chapter, so we'll get to see both sides of what's going on. The main focus will be on Peter. I needed to use this opportunity to build his character and show his interactions with Tony and Steve. Should be fun. PS. We don't have Home Coming in Canada so sorry if it's a little weirdly written. I've never gotten the thing where you have to have a date. We don't have prom either. We just have Grad Banquet when we graduate, and everyone is invited. Once again, but I think you all know the drill by now, this is a movie chapter, some of the dialogue is taken from the movie and is not mine. I own none of it. I hope you enjoy this movie-based chapter because the next movie we'll have the chance to explore will be Infinity War and that's not for another 10 chapters. Anyway, please enjoy!

* * *

Peter and the Avengers were sad to see summer end. Peter had gotten into a bit of a routine with them and school was just going to disrupt that. During the summer, Peter would spend Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at the compound as well as Tuesdays. Tuesday was combat training day. That was where Natasha Romanov her self would teach Peter how to fight and subdue attackers. Friday was date night, so Peter was often called in to babysit little Carter Stark so that his parents could have some alone time. Peter didn't mind. Carter was a cool kid and they had fun doing little science experiments and building things with Lego. Saturday and Sunday were a mix of self-defence training with Captain America, and the great Tony Stark himself teaching Peter science in his personal lab. The self-defence training was cool and all, but who else could say that Tony Stark was teaching them science and helping him learn new things to make Spider-Man even cooler. Peter couldn't believe that this was his life now.

When school started Peter was sad to see his schedule change. He could still spend weekends at the compound, but he had to make sure that any homework was done before he was even allowed anywhere near the lab. Well, he wasn't the only kid staying that the compound and they had a pretty sweet homework set up and there were tonnes of people to help out. If you needed help with science Tony or Rhodey were there to help you. English essay driving you crazy? Steve could help you make it sound professional without even trying. Studying for a history test? Natasha and Laura knew just about everything you needed. Math homework being annoying? You could ask Tony or Rhodey, but Scott Lang was also an electrical engineer and knew how to do the math thing. And if nobody in the compound knew the answer, you could just ask FRIDAY! Peter was a smart kid, but it was nice to know that there were so many people there who wanted to help him.

With the school year beginning in a few days, Peter took the opportunity to make his "How I spent my Summer" presentation. He made sure not to include any pictures and videos of him doing anything in the Spider-Man suit. What he did include were pictures of his trip to Wakanda, all the cool science stuff he was doing with Dr. Stark, some of the cool pictures he took doing stuff with Ned, and some pictures of a day trip to the lake with Aunt May. Tony even let him use FRIDAY to help him set up his presentation. If his class believed him than he was going to be the coolest kid in school.

Peter got used to staying at the compound and got to know the Avengers pretty well. Other than Steve and Tony, one of Peter's favourite people to spend time with was Bucky Barnes. Near the end of summer, Bucky got the all clear from Sam and Tony to start spending some time around the children of the compound. They had successfully neutralized the trigger words that HYDRA had implanted in him and they were working on resocialization and integration. Bucky was now seeing a regular therapist to help with all the other issues. But the trigger words were no longer an issue. Bucky was great with the kids now that he got to visit with them. Clint's kids were a bit hyperactive and hard to keep up with. So was Scott's daughter when she was over. Steve was especially happy to have Carter spend time with his Uncle Bucky. Peter thought that he was cool. Bucky had this sweet metal arm and Peter was thrilled when Tony had him assist in building Bucky a new better one. But, there was one thing that Peter found more interesting than a metal arm.

James Bucannon "Bucky" Barnes had an addiction to plums.

They never had plums in the compound because Bucky would steal them. It got so bad that Tony installed a separate fridge in Bucky's room just to store plums. Peter thought that was just the funniest thing in the world.

The first day of school for the year was hectic for everyone. At the compound, Clint and Scott were struggling to get their kids out of bed and ready for the day. Clint and Laura had a to deal with a bit of a breakdown when Lila misplaced her new Black Widow backpack. They found it, but a few tears were shed. Scott had an easier time. His ex-wife and her husband were there to help out and their morning went smoothly.

Back at Peter and May's apartment, things were going infinitely less smoothly. Peter had overslept and forgot to get ready the night before. It was a mad dash to get everything organized and be out the door on time. Peter ended up webbing his way to just to make it on time. He got there with 15 minutes to spare. Just enough time to find his locker and talk to Ned.

"Hey, Peter. You made it to school on time!" shouted Ned from across the hall. He pushed through the crowd of people to get to his friend. Ned and Peter had been absolutely floored when they got their timetables a week ago. They were in the same homeroom and they shared most of their classes. They were also on the academic decathlon team together. This was looking out to be a great year.

When the bell rang the two made their way to homeroom. Because it was the first day back, they would be spending the morning in homeroom and the afternoon doing syllabus in their other classes. Simple and easy for the first day of grade 10.

Peter and Ned's homeroom was also their English room. When they walked in Mr. Spooner greeted them and they took their seats. Their decathlon teammate Michelle was in their homeroom and she took a seat near them. They didn't talk too much but Michelle was whip-smart. The biggest downside to homeroom, Flash Thompson. That jerk had been bullying Peter and Ned since middle school. Thank fuck that Michelle took the seat near the two friends so that Flash had to sit on the other end of the class. Once the final bell rang, it was time to start the day.

Mr. Spooner started the day by having everyone introduce themselves to the class despite them all having known each other for years. He then went on to go over the school rules and policies with his students. After the lengthy discussion on rules and dress code, it was time for the class to present their "What I did this summer" presentations. They went alphabetically.

Everyone looked like they had a busy summer. Michelle went to some journalism and business camp and did some volunteer work. Ned worked at his uncle's store and went up to his family's cottage for a few weeks. It looked like fun. For the first time in a long time, Peter was actually excited to go up and present his summer slide show. He actually did stuff this summer instead of just helping his family around the house.

"Alright guys, so, this summer I got an internship at Stark Industries. It's really cool. I'm actually Dr. Stark's personal intern so I help him out a lot in the lab." Peter's classmates gave him a look of disbelief. Peter kept going.

"Because I was working so closely with Dr. Stark I got to meet the Avengers!" Peter clicked to the first slide of his presentation. It showed a picture of Peter with the Avengers outside the compound. Everyone on the team was there and dressed in casual clothes. Clint had his arm slung around Peter and was giving his hair a ruffle. The picture was taken at the beginning of the summer, so Tony still had his cast on. It was painted in rainbow colours by Carter. The class still looked on in disbelief.

The next slide Peter brought up was a clip of Peter and Tony working in the lab. Tony was showing Peter how he synthesized his new element so that they could give the correct instructions to Shuri. They ended up messing up a bit and caused a very small explosion. It looked hilarious. Some of his classmates laughed, but not many. Some were starting to look a bit jealous.

"My favourite part of the summer was when Dr. Stark invited me to go with him to Wakanda." Peter turned to the next slide. It showed Peter looked out the window of the jet they took as well as the landing. The class looked impressed. Wakanda had just come out to the world as a technological superpower and Peter had seen it before any of them.

"It was so cool. King T'Challa met us when we landed, and he showed us all around the palace and the main part of the city." Peter flipped through the slides. Each one held different pictures of the palace and the marketplace. Peter wanted to show his class what Wakanda really looked like.

"These ladies here are the Dora Milaje. They're the royal guard and are made up of an elite force of highly trained women." The girls of the class got all excited. They had never seen anything like that before. Yes, they had people like Pepper Potts and Natasha Romanov to look up to, but this was something so different. An elite force of warrior women. How cool was that? The girls of the class were finally paying attention to the presentation, as well as some of the guys.

"And this is Princess Shuri. She's King T'Challa's younger sister. She's super cool. She's head of RnD and has her own lab. She's super smart and she's only 16." Peter pulled up the picture he took of him and Shuri before switching to the next slide. "This here is my favourite moment from the whole summer. We got in trouble after, but it was so worth it." Peter proceeded to pull up the video footage that Shuri had sent him of their lightsaber fight. The class watched Peter and Shuri chase each other around the lab with glowing sticks. Sparks were flying, and the two teens were laughing and screaming. That was until they were interrupted by an irate Tony and T'Challa. The class looked on in awe.

"When I left Wakanda, Shuri gave me this necklace that's traditional to her people. I really like it. When I got back I spent some more time at the Avengers compound learning and helping out. I often babysat for Dr. Stark and Captain Rogers on the weekend. I also got to spend some time with Ned. We went to some of the street festivals this year." Peter showed some more pictures of life at the compound followed by some pictures of him and Ned enjoying some of the activities around Queens and Manhattan.

"This moment was really really cool! Dr. Stark showed me his Nobel Prize in Chemistry and he even let me hold it!" The slide switched to a video of Peter. He was smiling like an idiot as Tony handed him his Nobel Prize to hold. "If you work hard Pete, you can have one of these of your own someday!" Peter looked shocked but still smiled with glee.

"Finally, towards the end of summer vacation, my Aunt May and I took a day trip up to the lake. We hadn't done that since my Uncle Ben died so it was a bit of a big deal. And that was my summer."

The class clapped respectfully, except for Flash, and Peter took his seat. Ned gave him a high five and the next person was called up.

"That was really cool Peter. We should talk some time about this elite force of women." Whispered Peters long time crush Liz Toomes. Peter nodded and tried not to blush. Flash saw and scowled at him from across the room.

The rest of the day went relatively smoothly. Other than Flash accosting him and Ned at lunch, Peter had a pretty good day. Lunch was awesome. Tony Stark was now paying Peter's lunchroom bill and he told Peter to eat as much as he needed. Tony was used to feeding up superheroes, so this was like nothing to him. Peter was elated. After Uncle Ben died, May had a bit of difficulty paying his lunch bill on top of all the other bills. Peter did what he could to help out, but it wasn't always enough. Both May and Peter were so thankful to Tony Stark for making sure Peter got enough to eat at school. Although, May just thought his increased appetite was from being a growing teenager. She still didn't know about the Spider-Man thing.

After school, Peter patrolled for a few hours before swinging home. He stopped an armed robbery and helped some kids search for their lost dog. As part of their agreement, Peter had to leave a check in message every time he patrolled. It was just so that the Avengers knew he was safe.

When he got home from school May was there to greet him. She wanted to know everything about how his first day went. Peter loved his Aunt May to death. He had never really gotten the chance to know his parents because they died when he was so young, so May and Ben had been the ones to raise him. Peter and May definitely had a unique relationship. They had been through a lot together and they both came out stronger on the other end. May had always been there for Peter. She was the one who managed to get Peter tickets to Stark Expo all those years ago. She had been feeding his Iron Man obsession since day one. Long story short, May loved Peter and Peter loved May.

A week went by before Peters life got turned upside-down for the third time inside of a year.

The day started like any other day. Peter took the subway to school and texted Tony his schedule for the week so that he knew when Peter was free to come by and babysit. The walk to school was normal and complete with Flash trying to hit him with his car and being called "Penis Parker" for the umpteenth time in a row. He tried not to let the comment get to him as he pushed past a herd of students to get to his locker. He was just getting his books out for the day when he was interrupted by a Lego mini-figure talking on his shoulder.

"Join me and together we'll build my new Lego Death Star." Peter whipped around and was greeted by his best friend Ned. They ignored the glares from the cheerleaders next to them in favour of geeking out.

"No way! That's awesome! How many pieces?"

"3803!"

"That's insane!" remarked Peter. Ned just smiled.

"So, do you want to build it tonight?" eagerly asked Ned.

"Um, well, I have internship stuff till 8… but I'm free after." Stark had drawn up a little timetable for Peter so that he could make sure he wasn't overdoing it with the superheroing and neglecting his homework.

The two walked down the hall talking and hashing out their plans for the night. Ned would get the bare bones of the set done before he went to Peter's to work after Peter got home. Peter wasn't completely listening as Ned continued talking. Liz Toomes just so happened to be walking by and had caught his attention. Peter was drawn out of his thoughts on how pretty she was by the bell ringing. The two friends quickly rushed to their first class of the day.

From there the day seemed normal. Class was boring, and Peter didn't learn anything new. He learned more from Dr. Stark anyway. Lunch was spent watching Liz put up the large Home Coming banner in the cafeteria. Michelle made a few snide comments, but Peter didn't care. After school was decathlon practice. Peter spent the beginning relaying his internship schedule to his coach and making sure that everyone knew what was going on. They were preparing for nationals and his coach needed to know if he had the weekend free. Peter in fact was. Tony had made sure that Peter's schedule was clear so that he could co compete. It wasn't every day you got to go compete at nationals for Academic Decathlon. It was after practice when thing got weird.

Peter left school after practice and ordered a sandwich from Delmar's Deli. Mr. Delmar was saying inappropriate things about his aunt in Italian. Peter understood what he said perfectly and fired back a witty response. Peter had grown-up speaking Italian at home because of May. He didn't get to use it often enough after he started school. May wanted him to fit in, so it was only spoken at home. Peter got to speak it at the compound all the time though. Tony Stark would often speak in Italian when they worked in the lab. It was his first language after all. His son Carter also spoke Italian and he and Peter would often speak it around Steve Rogers just to confuse him. May loved that Peter was getting the chance to use his Italian more.

Anyways, after Peter bought and ate his food, he rushed to a back alley to get changed into his Spider-Man costume. Peter loved his new costume. It fit him much better than the old one and it had so many new web shooter combinations. Peter got to learn a new one every week.

Peter had a productive evening. He stopped a grand theft bicycle, helped an old lady with directions (she bought him a churro!), "stopped" a car theft, and helped some kids look for their lost dog. He relayed this all to Tony in his check-in. Tony was busy in a board meeting that night, so Peter left a message. He had just ended the message and was getting ready to meet Ned at his place when he spotted it. Some men were robbing the bank across from Delmar's. Peter had to stop it, so he sprang into action.

See, on any normal night, Peter would have had no problem stopping a couple of bank robbers in cheap Avengers masks. But this wasn't any normal night. The bank robbers had some sort of gravity ray. It felt weird when it was used on him. Peter still fought with all his might, but when one guy used some sort of ray gun that ripped through the building and some others nearby, he couldn't so much. The bank robbers escaped, and Peter ran to save Mr. Delmar and his cat from the burning wreckage of his shop. Peter got them to safety and then ran off to go call Tony. This was important, and he should know.

"What's up kid? I just got out of my meeting, so I don't have too long to talk. Pepper wants me for something before I head back to the compound." Said Tony when he answered his phone.

"Dr. Stark… I think we have a problem." Huffed Peter. He had inhaled a bit of smoke and it didn't feel good at all.

"What happened Underoos? Are those sirens I hear? What's going on?" asked a worried Tony.

Peter took his time. He explained to Tony exactly what happened and described the tech used in as much detail as he could. The whole thing was pretty hectic, so some details were lost to him. Tony didn't mind. He just listened to Peter and had FRIDAY record their call. When he was done Peter let out a good cough and Tony worried even more. This kid was NOT helping his sanity.

"Peter, I want you to listen to me. I want you to take the rest of the week off from Spider Manning. It sounds like you inhaled some smoke, and even with your healing factor, it can still be a problem. Take it easy. If you make the damage worse, you'll regret it. Do not engage anyone who has these kinds of weapon again. I'll have the team look further into this, but I don't want you engaging. You're not trained enough for it. I'm proud that you were able to hold your own, but without us knowing what the weapons are… Look, Peter. Just be careful. Thank you for telling me what happened. The Avengers will take it over from here. Alright, kid." Tony was blunt. He needed to make sure that Peter understood what he was saying.

"Do I really have to take a break for the rest of the week?" asked the teen.

"Yes. Even Steve has trouble with smoke inhalation. It's better to play it safe with that kind of stuff. You don't want to be stuck using an inhaler like me." The line was silent. "You alright kid?"

"Yeah, um, I think my backpack got stolen again." Mumbled Peter. Tony just sighed on the other end.

"Peter, head home. Go get your homework done and eat something. If you start feeling sick than swing by the compound. I'll see you Friday at the normal time."

"Alright, Dr. Stark. I'll see you then."

Peter hung up his phone and started to walk back home, still clad in his suit. At least Tony had listened to him about what had happened. Despite spending time with the man, Peter was still a little scared that he wouldn't listen. Tony Stark was a busy man and Peter was just a kid. Peter was thankful that he listened. He wasn't too happy about being benched for a few days, but at least the Avengers would be informed of this problem.

Peter made his way to his apartment building and he climbed up to his seventh story window. He used his webs to open the window and he climbed onto the ceiling. Peter pulled his mask off and continued across his room. He closed the window with his foot and used his webs to close his bedroom door. Peter hopped down from the ceiling and turned around. On his bed sat his best friend Ned and a half complete Death Star. Both boys stared at each other in shock as the Lego set rolled out of Ned's arms with a crash.

"What was that?" shouted Aunt May from down the hall.

"Nothing!" replied Peter as he frantically took off the Spider-Man suit. May came in to check on them before going and ordering the boys some dinner.

"You're Spider-Man! Does May know? Who all knows?" asked Ned as he looked at Peter with awe.

"No, she doesn't know. The Avengers know because they help train me, and Dr. Stark made the suit." Peter whispered back.

"Tony Stark made your suit. THE TONY STARK made your suit! Man, that's so cool!"

"So, you go out every night and fight crime like that? And somehow your aunt doesn't know!"

"No! No, she can never know. I'm already on stand down for the rest of the week. If May finds out, she'll never let me go out again! I can't do that to her right now. Not with everything that's happened in the past year." whispered Peter frantically.

"Alright, so no telling May… So how do you do the web thingy?"

The two boys talked about all the crazy stuff Peter had gotten into and Ned found out that this was part of his internship. They ended up laughing and working on the Death Star and when May brought them some food, the two teens wolfed it down. Peter shot his aunt a smile and an "I larb you!" before they went back to building.

The next few days were full of Ned asking Peter every question he could think of regarding Spider-Man and the Avengers. Some of the questions were serious such as "Hey Peter, how did you get your powers?" and "Hey Peter, what are your powers exactly?". Others were decidedly ridiculous. "Can you summon an army of Spiders?" and "What's Captain America really like? Is he a grouchy old man?" Peter thought those questions were ridiculous. Although, it would be pretty cool if he could summon an army of spiders the way Ant-Man does with his ants. They were in gym class doing sit-ups when Ned posed a different kind of question.

"Can I be your guy in the chair?"

"My what?"

"Your guy in the chair. You know, the guy behind the scene telling the hero where to go." Smiled Ned as Peter continued to do sit-ups.

"I don't need a guy in the chair." Peter slowed down his sit-ups when their coach complimented him. Peter Parker wasn't supposed to be that athletic.

They continued to do their work out as Peter overheard some of the popular girls playing a game of Fuck Marry Kill Avengers addition. From what Peter could hear it seemed like Liz had a bit of a crush on Spider-Man. Peter tried to keep his blushing to a minimum as he and Ned shared a look. Than Ned just had to open his mouth.

"Peter knows Spider-Man!"

The whole gym fell silent. Everyone's eyes fell on Peter and he felt his skin heat up. Peter shot Ned a look before standing up to defend himself.

"I know him from the internship. Dr. Stark introduced me when I met the Avengers." It was a lame excuse, but a believable one.

Flash got to insulting him and from there somehow Ned and Peter were invited to Liz's party on Saturday. Both Peter and Ned were thrilled. Neither of them had been invited to a party before. Once school was over, Peter raced home to tell May. She was just as excited for him and she offered to drive him and Ned to and from the party so that they would be safe. May was always looking out for them. It was nice how much she cared.

MTHS

The next day was Friday and it wasn't the best of days. Peter spent the whole day dodging questions about Spider-Man and his internship. At least he was heading to the compound that night to help babysit. He could get away from the crazy for a little while. Once school was over for the day, Peter ran outside and was greeted by Happy Hogan and one of Tony Starks less flashy cars. Happy picked Peter up from school on Fridays when he was going to the compound. Tony tried to pick him up when he could, but Happy was mostly the one to do it.

The drive to the compound was mostly silent. Well, Happy was silent. Peter talked his head off telling Happy all the stuff he'd gotten up too. Happy was all to happy when they finally arrived at the compound. Peter scanned his ID card and FRIDAY welcomed him into the residential wing. Some of the Avengers were milling around the living room and kitchen and gave Peter a greeting as he passed. Peter threw his things in his room and went back out to join them.

He was sitting down and playing with blocks with the younger kids when Tony Stark and Steve Rogers entered the room dressed to the nines. They were just about to head out to some kind of charity gala for the Maria Stark foundation.

"Hey Underoos, thanks for watching Carter tonight. We shouldn't be too late. 10 pm at the latest."

"Alright, Dr. Stark."

"Peter, we've been over this. You don't have to be so formal all the time." Smiled Tony.

"I know. It's just… You worked so hard to get your doctorates. People should acknowledge it." Peter smiled up at his mentor from his spot on the floor.

"You're too sweet kid. Make sure to get your homework done and make sure Carter gets to bed on time." Said, Tony, as he and Steve began to leave for the gala.

"I will!" shouted back Peter.

The rest of the night was spent playing with the kids and working on homework. Scott and Sam had made tacos for dinner and Bucky had made some homemade brownies for dessert. Bucky had taken up baking as a hobby to keep him occupied and not feeling as murdery. Peter didn't have a whole lot of homework to do, so he spent the time before Carter went to bed just playing with him. They had a contest to see who could stick the most magnets on Bucky's arm before he noticed. Bucky noticed right away but played along to humour the kids.

After Peter got Carter to bed, he spent the rest of the evening in his room. He was talking with Ned about what they should wear to the party and how they should act. He made sure to let Ned know that May would be driving them and picking them up. Neither had a car so May driving was really their only option. Peter was just hanging up his phone after calling Ned when he heard a knock on the door.

"Hey, Peter. We're back. How did the night go?" asked Tony as he stood in Peter's doorway.

"It was ok. We had dinner and I played some games with Carter."

"That's good. Did you get your homework done?"

"Yeah, it was easy." Peter looked just a little bit distant. Like he was excited but also anxious. Tony picked up on it. He was about to ask what was going on, but Peter beat him to it.

"Dr. Stark… can I ask you something?" Peter stumbled over his words just a bit. Tony nodded and let Peter speak.

"So, um, there's this girl at school. She's really pretty and she has a crush on Spider-Man, and I want her to have a crush on just plain old me, but I have no idea what to do. I already know what May's going to tell me and I wanted an honest opinion on what I should do." Tony sighed and took a seat on the bed next to Peter.

"Just because I'm dating Steve does not mean I know how I did it." Peter looked at Tony like he was so done with everything. "Look Pete. There's not a whole lot of advice is can give you. You need to show her that you're special in your own way and that she's special in her own way. I can't tell you exactly how to do that. What I've learned over the years is that every person is different when it comes to dating and you'll never know those differences unless you try. Take Steve for instance. He was actually the one to make the first move."

"He was!" exclaimed Peter, "But you're so confident. I thought it would have been you!"

"See Peter, that's where you're wrong. You see, sometimes false confidence is enough to get by in the eyes of the public. But real confidence, that comes from within. You need to look inside yourself and find what you're good at and roll with it. You like building and inventing things, show this girl what you can do and have her do the same with you."

Peter nodded along to Tony's explanation. It made sense. Treat Liz like an equal and just do what he's good at. Seems simple.

"I can do that. Dr. Stark, I have one more question." Peter wrung his hands together.

"Shoot away kid."

"So, Ned and I got invited to this party with all the popular kids tomorrow night, so I won't be here for the rest of the weekend." Tony nodded, "I was just wondering if there was anything I should know about parties?"

Tony instantly knew what to say to answer Peter's question. He needed to let Peter know all the things he wished someone had told him all those years ago.

"Alright Peter, I'm going to tell you something that I wish someone had told me when I started going to parties." Peter looked at Tony with his complete attention. Tony suddenly looked very stern and serious. This was important, and Tony needed to get this lesson across.

"No matter what, Do. Not. EVER, accept a drink from ANYONE unless you saw it get poured or you opened it yourself. Also, don't take your eyes off your drink. You never know what kind of people are going to be at these kinds of things. Trust me. I learned that the hard way."

Tony spoke slowly. He needed Peter to listen to this. This was one of the most important lessons that Tony learnt growing up. Tony would never forgive himself if what happened to him happened to Peter. Hell, Peter was even the same age as he was when he had his incident. Peter luckily had been listening and was able to parrot the information back to Tony. At least Peter was strong and could protect himself.

"Well kiddo, I think it's time you get to bed. You have a big day tomorrow and you look like you need some sleep anyways." Peter nodded and the two said goodnight. Tony went to spend some alone time with Steve. Peter laid down in bed thinking everything he was told over in his mind. It was a lot to sink in.

MTHS

The next day, Peter spent the morning at the compound. He and Tony were working on a new science experiment that could give some better tensile strength and lasting ability to his webs. That afternoon, Peter said goodbye to the Avengers and made his way back to Queens. Peter got himself dressed for the party and he made sure to put on his Spider-Man suit on underneath his regular clothes. At 6 o'clock, Ned came over wearing this ridiculous hat. May gave them some healthy snacks before she drove them off to Liz's party.

The music was loud and obnoxious as they entered the house. Flash was DJing and playing some really bad 90's club music. He enthusiastically announced that "Penis Parker" had entered the building. Peter brushed off the insult once again and he and Ned looked around. It looked like most of their year was there, even Michelle, who was a bigger introvert than Peter.

After a few minutes, Liz came out to greet them. Peter thought she looked stunning in her silvery shirt and jeans. Well, Peter thought that Liz looked stunning in everything. A loud crashing noise broke off their conversation and Liz left to go see what had happened. The same moment Liz left Flash got to roasting him and Ned about Spider-Man. That was the last straw. It was time to bring out Spider-Man.

Peter ran out back to get changed and was climbing up the side of Liz's house when he saw it. A white van loaded with those fancy weapons that the bank robbers had had. Peter immediately got to chasing after them. Unfortunately for him, there weren't a whole lot of things to swing from in the suburbs, so Peter chased after them on foot while he was running Peter took a moment to call the Avengers.

"Hey, kid. What's up? How's the party" Asked Tony when he picked up his phone.

"I'm kind of not at the party. You see I was going to show up in the Spider-Man suit and show off a bit so that people would start respecting Ned and I. Well I was just about to enter the house in the suit when I saw the white van full of those weapons that were used in that bank robbery on Monday so I'm following it." Stammered Peter as he kept running to keep up with the van.

"Alright, Pete. Do. Not. Engage. Keep your distance and gather information. Don't fight them unless that shoot first. We'll be there soon." Peter nodded, and Tony ended the call.

Peter followed the van until it stopped under an abandoned overpass in the outskirts of Queens. There he saw a bunch of men trying to sell this guy who looked a bit like Donald Glover. They looked like they were about to shoot the man and Peter knew that he had to intervene before the man got hurt.

Peter was about to jump down and stop them when his phone went off. The bad guys turned to face him, and Peter knew that his hiding spot was compromised. Peter jumped down and soon he was being shot at. Peter followed after the men as they drove away in a hurry. He got dragged along for a bit and was flung off the back of the van.

From there Peter had to run through a whole bunk of yards a la Ferris Bueller's Day Off. As he approached the road, Peter saw Iron Man and Falcon fly overhead. Captain America's motorcycle could be heard nearby. Peter was able to get onto the roof of a nearby house and was just about to jump onto the roof of the van when he was nabbed from the air by a man in a leather and fur jacket and these giant mechanical wings and a mask.

Peter struggled and kicked but to no avail. He was scared and didn't quite know what to do. Just as he was beginning to get in a few good punches, Peter felt the arms holding him let go. Peter began spiralling down towards the water below him when a large white parachute erupted from his suit. Unfortunately, Peter became entangled in the chute and when he hit the water it became worse. Peter couldn't get himself out of the chute and he was running out of air and he was so so cold. Thank god for Tony Stark. He was able to dive into the water and get Peter out while also disentangling the teen from the chute.

Peter took in a deep breath when Tony pulled him from the water and flew him to a small playground. Cap and Falcon could take care of the crazy people. Right now, Tony needed to check over Peter and make sure that he was alright. Peter was telling Tony what had happened while Tony checked him over for major injuries. Peter kept shivering and Tony was worried.

"You put a parachute in my suit?" asked Peter once Tony finished checking him over.

"I put everything in your suit. Including this heater." Steam shot out from Peter's suit and Peter sighed in relief as he finally stopped shivering.

"You alright kid. They didn't hurt you too badly?"

"I'm fine Dr. Stark. I just felt like I wasn't able to do much." Sighed Peter as he looked at Tony.

"Peter, you did a whole lot. You let the right people know that there was a problem and you got help. There's no shame in asking for help. Even I have to ask for help sometimes."

"I know. I just… I want to be doing more. I just want to protect people and make you and May proud."

"You're already doing that Peter. Now, why don't you head back to that party and have some fun? Maybe even talk to that crush of yours." Tony smiled and made sure Peter got safely on his way.

As Peter walked back he took a moment to think about what Tony had said. That he and May were already proud of him. That was a thing apparently. Peter still didn't feel like he was doing enough though. That was when he saw it. On the ground was a glowing purple weapon component. Peter knelt down to pick it up. He gave it a good look over. It sort of looked like the alien tech used in the Battle of New York years ago. Maybe if he was able to crack how the weapons worked and gave the information to the rest of the Avengers then they would all be proud of him. Peter smiled and began to pocket the tech. That was when his phone rang.

"Hey, Ned. Sorry, there was an Avengers emergency and I had to take care of it. I'm fine now and I'm on my way back."

"Don't bother Peter. Turns out we're still losers." Sighed Ned as a chant of "Penis Parker" could be heard on the other end.

"Meet me outside. I'll call May so she can pick us up." Man, this night was definitely not going as planned.

MTHS

The next week at school Peter spent his time in shop class picking apart the weapon component he found the night before and telling Ned what had happened. Ned thought it was the coolest thing ever that Peter got to fight with some of the Avengers and all this cool stuff was happening. Once they managed to get the component open, the two teens were stunned. Both of them had lived through the Battle of New York and this looked like it was a mix of some of the tech used then, as well as some newer stuff.

"Are you going to tell Tony Stark about this?" whispered Ned as they looked over the weapon's core.

"Not just yet. I want to gather more information for him. I just want to prove myself."

Ned just nodded, and the two teens went into this criminally complicated secret handshake that almost rivalled the one Tony and Rhodey made up at MIT. Sadly, Peter and Ned's handshake didn't have lasers. They left class when the bell rang, and the two teens continued on with their day. It was after decathlon practice, just as Ned and Peter were leaving the school for the day when they spotted two of the men who had attacked Peter on Saturday. They both hid around a corner watching the men. It looked like they were heading to the construction lab. Peter left Ned to follow them.

Employing the new stealth skills that Black Widow taught him, Peter was able to sneak into the lab and under a table. The men said something about an energy signature and Peter knew that they were searching for the tech he had stumbled upon that weekend. Peter stayed hidden as the men exited the room, but not before Peter was able to stick one of his new tracking devices on the taller of the two. Once the coast was clear, Peter left to go meet up with Ned.

Ned ended up spending the night at Peter's place. May didn't mind. She just made the boys some dinner and checking in on them every once in a while. Peter and Ned spent most of the night tracking the men that Peter had bugged earlier. Around 1 am the tracker stopped moving and seemed to stay put. They were in Maryland, not far from where nationals was being held. Perfect. The rest of the night was spent planning out their heist.

The day before Peter left for nationals Tony summoned him to the compound. Peter had no clue what to expect. Thursdays weren't normally a day where he went to the compound. Tony had told him that it was just going to be a quick meeting, so Peter swung there right after practice. When he arrived at the compound Tony Stark was waiting for him in the living room.

"Hey, Pete! Come over here we'll get this done quickly so you can get some sleep and study.

Peter nodded and followed Tony down to his lab. DUM-E, YOU, and Butterfingers were there to greet Peter like they always did. Peter spared a moment to give them each a pat on the head before following Tony to his workbench. On the bench was a small repair kit for the Spider-Man suit and a grey t-shirt. Peter looked up at his mentor and was greeted with a smile.

"Just a few things you may want for your trip." Tony smiled and handed Peter the repair kit. "If something happens out there and you need to repair the suit, you should have everything you need here." Peter nodded and looked expectantly at the shirt on the table. Tony smiled and held it up. On the front was the MIT logo from back in the late 80's.

"This is for luck. I know you're smart in your own right but we all have our thing." Tony handed the old shirt to Peter. "I wore this shirt when I won a contest with DUM-E years ago. I was wearing this shirt when I found out that I was nominated for a Nobel Prize. Now, I am gifting it to you so that your school can win nationals."

Peter's jaw dropped. This was so cool. Tony must really care about him to give such a precious present. Peter smiled, and Tony pulled the teen into a half hug.

"Now get going. You probably still need to pack for your trip."

When Peter left the compound, he was all smiles as he called May and told her what just happened. She laughed at how high Peter's voice got as he hero worshipped Tony Stark.

MTHS

The next day the decathlon team met early in the morning to take the bus to Washington. Peter was super excited to be going on this trip. He had worked hard to be on the team and was more than ready to help them win. Also, Liz was smiling at him so there was that. They spent the bus ride running through practice questions and telling bad jokes. As they approached Washington, Peter received a text from every single one of the Avengers wishing him good luck. Tony even sent him a picture of a good luck drawing from Carter. Peter smiled at his phone when he received that text. He showed it to Ned and he thought that it was adorable.

When they arrived at the hotel they were all given their room keys and assignments. Naturally, Peter and Ned were sharing. After jumping on the bed for a few moments the two got to work on removing the tracker from the suit. Peter didn't want to have the Avengers breathing down his neck. He wanted to prove himself. After they removed the tracker, Ned hacked into the suit and found something interesting.

"Dude! There's so much cool stuff in here, but it's all protected by something called the "Training Wheels Protocol"."

"Are you kidding me!? I don't need to be treated like a kid!" shouted an outraged Peter.

"But you are a kid."

"Can you break it?" asked Peter. Ned looked apprehensive.

"I can… but is that a good idea?"

"What could possibly go wrong?" asked Peter as he jumped on his bed.

"I don't know Peter…"

"I'll let you be my guy in the chair." Peter knew that that would make Ned agree on the spot. And he was right as Ned immediately got to disabling the program. Soon Peter was putting the suit on under his regular clothes and sneaking out.

Peter was almost in the clear when he literally bumped into Liz. She and some of the other members of the team were breaking curfew to go swimming. Liz invited Peter to join in and he was tempted. So very tempted. In the end, Peter had to decline. Finding the guys making the fancy weapons was more important. He had to impress Dr. Stark and show him that he could be a full Avenger. He helped fight HYDRA in Berlin for Christ's sake! He could do stuff with the rest of the team. Yes, it was nice being trained by them and working with Dr. Stark in the lab, but Peter felt like he could do more. And what better way to start than by gathering intel for the team.

Peter snuck onto the roof of the hotel, hid his backpack, and put on his mask. He definitely wasn't expecting to be greeted by a voice when he put it on.

"Hello, Peter. Congratulations on completing the "Training Wheels Protocol" designed by Mr. Stark and Captain Rogers. How may I assist you today?" said a female voice from inside the suit. Tony must have put an AI in his suit. This was so awesome!

"Hi. I um… I put a tracker on some guys a few days ago. Can you lead me to it?" asked Peter.

"Sure thing Peter. The directions will be visible in 10 seconds."

Soon Peter was swinging away to go find some bad guys. Suit Lady giving him advice the whole way. She lead Peter to an old gas station on the side of the highway. Peter could see two men sitting in a car. Peter climbed on top of a sign to get a better look. Suit Lady activated Advanced Recon Mode so that Peter could listen in. The men were talking about how they gathered their materials from old Avengers battle sites. That wasn't good. The Avengers faced some seriously dangerous stuff and now it was falling into the wrong hands.

"Hey, Suit Lady. Any advice on what to do? This could get dangerous" whispered Peter as he tried to stay hidden.

"I could activate Advanced Combat Mode."

"Advanced Combat Mode! Hell yes!"

"Alright. Activating Instant Kill Mode.

"No no no no no no no! I don't want to kill anybody!" panicked Peter.

"Deactivating Instant Kill."

"Alright. Let's take a closer look." Peter shot a web to swing closer. It just wasn't the type of web he wanted. Peter had only learned 15 different web combinations. That wasn't one of them.

"Um… what was that." Aske Peter puzzled.

"That was the default web setting. Would you like to see more options? There are a total of 576 to choose from."

After haggling with the Suit Lady for a couple of minutes about what web to choose, Peter just ended up letting her choose for him. That was when the Vulture appeared again. He was after this convoy of trucks containing material cleaned up from the fall of SHIELD years ago. They were still cleaning that mess up. Peter jumped onto the top of one of the trucks just as the Vulture emerged from some sort of plasma portal he put on the truck.

Peter knew he was screwed the second the Vulture looked at him. Peter really did try to fight his hardest. It was just more difficult when he couldn't figure out his web shooter. The Vulture shot some sort of blast at Peter and he brained himself on the roof of the truck and fell onto the road. Peter rolled into the dirt losing sight of the Vulture and his man. If Tony, Steve, or May ever found out about this he would be screwed.

Peter began his trek back to the hotel. While he was walking and swinging, Peter had Suit Lady teach him all the web combinations. It was fun. Peter knew that Tony would have taught him all the combinations eventually. He was just ahead of the game now. While talking with Suit Lady, Peter had a bit of an epiphany.

"Hey, Suit Lady. I can't keep calling you Suit Lady. What should I call you?" asked Peter.

"You can call me whatever you want to Peter." So Peter started going through a whole slew of names trying to find the perfect one.

"I know! How about Karen?!" asked Peter as the approached the hotel.

"You can call me Karen.

Peter smiled and climbed up to the roof to get his stuff. Peter snuck his way back to his and Ned's room. Ned was waiting up for him and Peter told him what he learned. They didn't want to stay up too late with the competition the next day, but they did stay up to watch the newest episode of Buzzfeed Unsolved. It was on the disappearance of this kid named Peter Quill back in the 80's. Just as Shane was laughing about the alien abduction theory, Peter and Ned drifted off to sleep.

MTHS

The next morning what a whirlwind of making sure everyone had their uniforms and backstage study materials. In the rush, Ned forgot to take the power component that Peter found out of his bag. Too soon they were all in the lobby waiting to take the bus to the competition venue. Everyone stared at Peter who was wearing the MIT shirt under his suit jacket. "For luck." was all me mumbled and the team took off.

The event itself was easy. They made it through their first few rounds without any difficulty. During their lunch break, Peter called May to let her know how they were doing. She was so proud of him and she wished him the best of luck on the champion match. Soon lunch was over, and it was time for the gold medal match. The team took the stage and got ready. Peter could see Flash out of the corner of his eye in the wings scowling. He was first alternate and wasn't competing. They took their seats and started the first challenge

The first challenge was the Super Quiz. They had 20 minutes to answer as many multiple-choice questions as they could. It was a piece of cake for Peter and his classmates. Next was the speech. Each team had to choose one member to give a speech about anything they wanted. They chose Liz because of her passion for leadership and helping others. Next was the interview. Each member was put through the ringer as the judges asked them personal questions. Peter ended up mostly talking about his Internship with Tony Stark. What a better way to impress the judges than to show them who exactly he was learning from. Next was the essay. They had 50 minutes to write an essay from one of the 3 topics given to them. Peter lucked out and one of the topics was on robotics. It was a piece of cake. They were given a brief break while they were graded.

Last but not least was the quick answer segment. They were neck in neck with the other school It was so close, Peter was starting to worry. They ended up in sudden death. That was when Michelle saved the day.

"The answer is 0." She buzzed in. Everyone in the room held their breath.

"That is correct! Congratulations Mid Town on winning the 2016 Academic Decathlon Championship!"

Everyone on the team was screaming and hugging. They did it! They really did it! Peter was so happy. He immediately called May to tell her that they won. May was ecstatic and promised Peter a special dinner when he got home. Peter also sent a text to the Avengers who also congratulated the team. Tony video called him so that he could personally congratulate the team. Man, it was shaping up to be a great day.

Until it wasn't.

Things started to go downhill once they got to the Washington Monument to sightsee. Peter elected not to go in and just do a bit of Spider Manning. It should have been calm, but it wasn't.

Peter was just finishing getting into his suit when the explosion detonated. He immediately asked Karen what had happened. Apparently, the weapon component that he had found a week ago was an old Chitauri detonator core. When Ned put his backpack through the x-ray scanner it activated and blew up once they were in the elevator. After Michelle shouted that her friends were in there, Peter immediately began to scale up the side of the monument.

The whole climb up, Karen was telling him statistics on the structural integrity of the elevator. Because of some movement done by Flash, Peter didn't have much time to act and save his classmates. Karen activated a little spider-shaped drone on his chest to go search ahead for an entry. There was a window at the top of the tower. When he got to the top, Peter began to panic. He wasn't the biggest fan of heights and this was just too high. Karen tried to calm him down, but Peter was just too freaked out. The police choppers shouting at him weren't helping at all.

Peter was about to surrender when his train of thought brought him to his Aunt May and Dr. Stark. If he succeeded they would be so proud of him. Maybe than Dr. Stark would let him do more stuff on the team. With the little bit of bravery he had left in him, Peter activated the gliders in his suit and jumped off the monument to break the window.

Once inside Peter had just seconds to shoot his webs at the falling elevator. He had a good grip bit ultimately gravity won and they all continued to fall. Peter fell into the elevator and was able to web it from the inside and pull it up to the doors at the top. Everyone was getting off when Peter lost his grip. The elevator fell and so did Liz. It was Peter's quick reflexes that had him web up Liz before she fell too far. He helped her back up and, just as Karen was telling him that this was the perfect moment to kiss Liz, Peter's grip on his own webs failed and he fell to the bottom of the shaft. To add insult to injury, Flash yelled at him from the top asking if he knew Peter Parker. Well, at least he saved his friends.

The bus ride back to New York was mostly silent. The only person making any sort of conversation was Flash, and even that stopped after Michelle and Liz told him to shut up. When they got back to the school, May was so happy to see that Peter was safe. She had seen what had happened on the news and she had spent the whole day worrying about Peter. He was fine. He just had to hide the bruises that he got when he fell down the elevator shaft. May ended up spoiling Peter that weekend with ice cream and movies. May really was the best.

MTHS

The following week at school was intense. Spider-Man had become a celebrity practically overnight and the school was going crazy over their local hero. Ned and Peter were having a bit of a hard time keeping the secret about Peter being Spider-Man because telling the secret would make them popular, but also put a whole bunch of people in danger.

Peter was also getting antsy. With all the new information he had on the weapons guys, he knew he had to act. He had skipped out on Spanish class on Tuesday because wanted to do some research in the library. That was why he was currently in detention watching a video of Captain America lecture him on his "poor life decisions". He didn't stay too long in detention, and the teacher in charge didn't seem to care too much. Peter ran out of the room and made his way back home.

Luckily May wasn't home yet and Peter was able to ask Karen for more information on the guys he had seen that weekend. That was when Karen told him about the "Baby Monitor Protocol". Peter just huffed. Of course, everything he did was recorded. And when Karen showed him the footage of him pretending to be Thor he just about died of embarrassment. If Thor ever saw that footage he would die. After that bout of embarrassment, Karen was able to give Peter some information about one of the guys from the night of Liz's party. Some guy by the name of Aaron Davis, the guy who looked like Donald Glover. Peter left right away to go interrogate him.

When Peter arrived at the parking garage where Davis was, he had Karen turn on Advanced Interrogation Mode. It made his voice sound all macho as he tried to get information out of the man. Unfortunately, Peter was called out on his voice and he had Karen shut it off. Fortunately, Peter was lucky. Davis was able to give him the information he needed and soon, Peter was on his way to the Staten Island Ferry to go stop a weapons deal.

Getting onto the ferry was easy. He just webbed his way on board and instantly had Karen do some recon. She was able to listen in and find out that the deal was going on at a white truck. He sent his spider drone, Droney, to find it. Once the truck was found Peter made his way over to do some spying. That was when May called. Peter just sent her to voicemail and continued to spy on the villains.

Unfortunately, that was when Tony Stark decided to call him. And you can't ignore a call from Tony Stark.

"Hey, Underoos. How's it going? Do you have a moment?" asked Tony as the call connected.

"I'm a little busy right now." Huffed Peter. He was going to be in so much trouble if Stark found out about this.

"And what so happened to have you to busy to talk?"

"I'm at school." Lied Peter.

"Listen, kid, I just wanted to say nice job in DC. Howard never gave me any kind of support and I'm just trying to break the cycle of shame." Commented Tony. Peter smiled at that fact, but it soon dropped as his cover was blown when the ships horn went off.

"Peter… What was that?" demanded Tony.

"Nothing! I'm in band class." Lied Peter.

"That's funny. You're not in band this year. You dropped it, so you could spend more time at the compound."

"Sorry! Gotta go!" yelled Peter as he quickly ended the call. He was so screwed.

Peter didn't have much time to think about how screwed he really was because the bad men were on the move. He interrupted them right as they were about to make a deal. Peter was throwing webs in every direction in his attempt to catch them. He was doing great until the fricking FBI showed up. Peter tried his best to explain what he was doing but they weren't listening. That was when the Vulture decided to attack the ship. There was a resounding panic from the FBI agents and Peter jumped into action.

That was when things truly went south.

Peter was able to wrangle the Vulture's weapon from his grasp and managed to web it to the floor. Unfortunately, that just made the thing go off. It tore the ship completely in half. This was bad. Really bad. Peter had to let the Vulture get away in favour of saving the ship. He had Karen identify the support beams and he quickly webbed them together. He was 98% successful. The webbing broke and Peter ended up hanging between the two sides of the ship trying desperately to hold it together. Thank god that Tony Stark decided on that moment to arrive and help.

"Hi, Spider-Man. Band Practice was it?" He asked as condescending as possible.

From there Tony was able to use his suit and droned to repair the ship. Peter kept offering to help, but the answer was always no. Tony managed to save the ship and he sent Peter off to wait on the top of a building for him while he made sure everyone was alright. Peter sat there watching from a distance. He felt so useless and angry. Man, he really screwed up this time.

"Previously on Peter screws the pooch. I told you to keep your distance and tell the team if you found anything. I told you not to engage. And what do you do? You hack a million-dollar suit, so you can sneak around behind my back doing the one thing I told you NOT TO DO!" Tony sounded absolutely furious.

"Is everyone ok?" asked Peter. He sounded heartbroken.

"No thanks to you."

"No thanks to me?! There are weapons out there that need to be stopped. I can't just let that happen! I just wanted you to listen to me!" cried Peter as he approached the Iron Man suit. That was when Tony got out of the suit to confront him.

"I did listen Peter. I had the team doing research and I called in the FBI for back up. Most of the Avengers thought I was crazy bringing on the 14-year-old kid to work with us."

"I'm 15 actually." Said Peter meekly.

"No! This is where you zip it! The adult is talking! What if somebody had died tonight? Different story, right? Because that's on you! And if you died? I feel like that's on me."

"Yes, sir." Whispered Peter. "I'm sorry." Peter looked down at his hands. This was really bad. He just wanted to gather information to make the team proud. He didn't end up doing that at all.

"Sorry doesn't cut it right now Peter."

"I know. I understand." Peter's voice was cracking as he tried to keep his emotions at bay. "I just wanted to be like you."

"And I wanted you to be better." Tony wrapped his arm around Peter and lead him to sit down on the ledge.

"You're grounded." Remarked Tony once Peter had calmed down a little.

"WHAT?!"

"Grounded. No Spider Manning for a month. You need to learn that your actions as a hero have consequences. And don't even think about sneaking out to stop crime. Trust me, I'll know if you do. You can still come by the compound when you're supposed to, and I know for a fact that Steve is going to want to have a talk with you once he hears this. You've got a lot of work to do to make up for this." Tony still sounded angry. But not like a regular angry adult. No, he sounded like a worried parent. He sounded like May when she was mad at Peter.

"I'm sorry Sir. I really am." Peter couldn't look up from his hands. He felt horrible. All he ever wanted to do was help people.

"I know you are Peter. You still have a lot to learn, and one of those lessons is putting your trust in others. Let the Avengers and the FBI do all the hard work. You need to start small and work your way up. Don't jump right into taking down terrorists like it did."

"I know. I just… I wanted to save people like how you saved me." Shrugged Peter.

"When did I save you?" asked Tony.

"Back during the Stark Expo in 2010. I was the little kid in the Iron Man helmet. You stopped one of Hammers drones from shooting me." Whispered Peter.

"That was you!" panicked Tony. "Kid you know I have a heart condition. You can't just spring that kind of information on me!"

"Sorry, Sir."

"Peter. Head back home. Your aunt is probably worried sick about you and you need to shower. I'll see you at the compound on Friday. Don't be surprised if Steve picks you up to talk." Peter nodded and the two took off.

When Peter got back home he was in trouble with Aunt May for skipping class. He knew he was going to get detention in school for missing. This day was turning out to be the worst.

MTHS

The next day, Peter found himself in the principal's office. He got a weeks worth of detention for skipping class. It wasn't too horrible all things considering. The odd thing about being in detention was that he spent a whole lot of time with Michelle. She didn't even have detention. She just liked drawing people in crisis. Michelle was actually pretty cool. By the third day of detention, they were actually becoming friends to the point of nicknames. So, Michelle became MJ and Peter had another friend.

When Friday rolled around Peter made his way to the compound as usual. Tony was right, and Steve ended up picking him up. The drive was met with a stern talking too about responsibility and the eyebrows of disappointment. That weekend Peter worked his ass of in training and his lab work to make up for his mistakes. Tony still taught him in the lab and stuff, but he knew that the Avengers were not pleased with him. The only good part of the weekend was that Bucky got a new cat that seemed to love Peter. His name was Mr. Bigglesworth because somebody (Tony and Clint) showed Bucky the Austen Powers movies and the former assassin fell in love. Sunday was spent building the Lego Death Star with Ned. It was nice to just have some down time and having a friend close helped improve Peter's mood.

When Monday rolled around Peter worked hard in class as per usual and he made sure to hand in all his homework. It was when he was walking between classes that he made a happy little discovery. When he was just outside the auditorium he ran into his crush Liz. She looked stunning as always. Peter took a deep breath, gathered all his courage, and made his way over to her.

"Hey, Liz! What's up?" he asked trying to keep his voice even.

"Nothing much. I'm just doing some last-minute stuff for Home Coming." She replied.

"That's cool. I'm sure you and your date must be excited."

"Well, I've actually been so busy planning that I haven't had time to look for a date." Wait a second. Did Liz just say that she didn't have a date to Home Coming? JACKPOT! Now was Peter's chance.

"Well, um, would you like to go to Home Coming with me?" asked Peter as brave as he could. All he could think was "Please say yes. Please say yes. Please say yes."

"Um, sure. I'd love too." Liz smiled at him and Peter's face lit up. He had just scored the best date ever to Home Coming. Peter wanted to keep talking but the bell rang. Liz gave Peter her number and told him that she'd text him to arrange things. Peter smiled and ran off to class, so he could tell Ned.

The next few days were a flurry of activity. Aunt May took Peter out to rent his suit after Liz sent him a picture of her dress. May also had Peter order a corsage to match. May was so excited for him. She was working on teaching Peter how to dance and tie a tie. The last thing Peter needed to learn was a little bit trickier, however.

Peter Parker: Dr. Stark, do you think that I could come by the compound after school tomorrow I need help with something? May said It was ok.

Tony Stark: Sure thing kid. Just swing by I'll be in the lab.

Peter smiled when he got the text back. Hopefully, this wouldn't backfire.

When school ended the next day, Peter left immediately for the compound. When he arrived, Tony was in his lab as promised. It appeared like he was working on some new arrows for Clint and a new ant saddle for Scott. Tony turned to face Peter and smiled at the teen when he entered.

"Hey kid, what's up?"

"Well, I uh… I managed to ask my crush out to Home Coming on Friday and she said yes!" said Peter.

"That's great Pete! So, I take it you need my help with something." Peter nodded.

"Well, May's been teaching me all the dancing and etiquette stuff, but she can't really teach me the man stuff you know?" Tony nodded, and Peter blushed a bit.

"I was wondering if you could teach me how to shave. I want to look nice for her. Not like some scrappy teen." Mumbled Peter embarrassingly. Tony took it all in stride.

"Alright kid. Let's get you looking all fresh for your date." Peter smiled and let Tony lead him to their wing of the compound.

The next half hour was spent teaching Peter the intricacies of shaving. Tony did not shy away from using his own face for demonstration purposes. In the end, both were completely clean-shaven, and they used that fact to creep out the rest of the Avengers. Peter and Tony just laughed. The best part was when Steve came back from the gym and saw his boyfriend without any facial hair for the first time. Tony had to bid Peter farewell and good luck on his date as Steve dragged him back to their room.

The day of the dance was hectic. School was cut short so that the kids had time to get ready. Peter made sure that he showered and shaved just like he was taught. May helped him get into his suit and she helped make sure that everything was perfect. Once 6 o'clock rolled around, Peter and May were in the car driving to Liz's house. May used that time to give Peter some last-minute advice on how to treat a girl right and make sure that she was comfortable and having a good time.

"Peter." Peter turned his head to look at his aunt.

"Yeah?"

"I just want you to know how proud of you I am. You've achieved so much in such a short amount of time. I can't believe how much you've grown up." Peter smiled. "It seems like just yesterday you were a little baby just learning to walk. Look how far you've come. I'm so proud of you Peter. And I know your parents and Ben would be proud too."

Peter leaned over in his seat to give his Aunt May a big hug. She had done so much for him growing up. She and Ben took Peter in when he was only a baby after his parents had died in that plane crash. She was there for his first day of school. She was the one that surprised him with tickets to the Stark Expo. She was the one who looked after him when he got sick after being bit by a radioactive spider. They grieved together when Uncle Ben died in that shooting. May was Peter's rock. She was the only family he had left, and he would always love her. The two broke their hug and May nudged Peter out the door.

"Go have fun tonight Peter. Remember, I love you!"

"Love you too!" shouted Peter as May drove away, and Peter walked up to the front door of Liz's place.

What happened next would change Peter's life forever.

Peter knocked on the door to Liz's house and was met with s disturbing face. Once he'd seen before back in DC. Liz's dad, Adrian Toomes, was The Vulture. Peter was trying so hard to keep a straight face as he was welcomed into the house. Liz's mom was also there to greet him. She seemed nice and there was no way she knew about her husband's illegal activities. Peter sort of stood there awkwardly. It played into his geeky recluse personality and it looked like he was just acting nervous about the dance. He was but that wasn't the real problem.

When Liz came down in her pretty pink dress, she looked breathtaking. Peter panicked a bit when he handed her the corsage. It was a deep pink, just like her dress. Peter wanted to smile and be happy with his date. It was just a little difficult when Mr. Toomes was staring him down like he wanted to kill him. Peter allowed Ms. Toomes to take some pictures of them before they shuffled off to the car. Peter took that opportunity to text Tony to let him know what he had just discovered.

Peter Parker: The Vulture guy is my date's dad. His name is Adrian Toomes. I didn't know until I went to pick her up for the dance and he opened the door. He's the same man I saw in DC. I'm stuck in the car with him until we get to the school. I think he might know who I am. I'll text you if he get's violent.

"Who are you texting Peter?" asked Liz.

"I'm uh… I'm just texting my aunt to let her know that we're on our way to the dance and that everything going well." Lied Peter. His phone lit up with the reply.

Tony Stark: Alright Peter. I've just notified the team and I've got FRIDAY gathering intel. DO NOT ENGAGE with him unless it's an emergency. Try to act calm. Go into the dance with your date and CALL ME if he gets violent. Got it?"

Peter Parker: Yes Sir. I will.

Peter put his phone away and tried to join in the conversation going on around him.

"So Peter, are your plans for the future?" asked Mr. Toomes.

"I'm uh… I'm not sure yet. Still looking at all the options." Peter answered awkwardly.

"Well, you have that internship at Stark industries. I'm sure you'll move on to doing something there." Smiled Liz. Toomes just stared at Peter with intensity.

"You have an internship at SI? That must be fun. Have you met the Avengers?" asked Toomes. It was like he was grilling Peter for answers. Peter just nodded and tried to look brave. It wasn't working great.

"He does dad. He showed us pictures from his summer a few weeks ago. He even knows Spider-Man!"

"Is that right. And how is this Spider-Man?" Toomes almost sounded sly and conniving.

"He's cool. A nice guy. It was good he was there in DC to save everyone." Peter already knew he said to much. This was going to end badly for him. Toomes definitely knew who he was at this point.

"I feel like I know you, Peter. You sound familiar." Yeah… Toomes knew who he was.

"He's on the Academic Decathlon Team with me Dad."

"That must be fun."

The rest of the drive was extremely awkward. Peter tried to make conversation with Liz, but he was also trying to keep an eye on Toomes. Peter didn't want to admit it, but he was scared. Hopefully, the Avengers would take care of this and Peter could keep his family safe. When They arrived at the school they parked right out front where everyone could see them.

"Run ahead gumdrop. I'm just gonna give Peter the dad talk." Liz made her way out of the car and Toomes turned to Peter. A gun was in his hand and Peter tried not to panic. This was not good. MISSION ABORT!

"Does she know?" asked Toomes menacingly

"Know what?" Peter knew exactly what he was being asked, but he tried to play it off.

"So she doesn't. Good. Probably for the best. I admire that. Got a few secrets of my own. All the reasons I didn't want my daughter to date." Peter was trying not to panic and let his fear show. "Peter, nothing is more important than family. You saved my daughter's life and I can never forget something like that. So I'm going to give you one chance. Are you ready?" Peter nodded. "Walk through those doors. You forget any of this happened. And don't you ever EVER interfere with my business again. Cuz if you do, I'll kill you and everybody you love. I'll kill you dead. That's what I'll do to protect my family. Do you understand Peter?" Peter nodded and avoided eye contact. Dr. Stark told him not to engage and he was trying really hard not to.

"Peter. I just saved your life. Now, what do you say?" Toomes was speaking too calm for Peter's liking and it freaked him out even more.

"Thank you."

"Your welcome. Now go in there and show my daughter a good time. Just not too good." Peter nodded and got out of the car. That was when he made one of the stupidest decisions of his life.

"I told the Avengers who you are." Said, Peter. He then ran as fast as he could into the school before Toomes could do anything.

When Peter entered the gym the dance was in full swing. He could see his friends Ned and MJ in the corner talking. Across the gym, Liz was talking with some of her friends and laughing. He was walking over to join her when he suddenly had this horrible feeling in his gut. He wasn't sick or anything. No, Peter just felt like something was terribly terribly wrong. So wrong he couldn't quite fathom how wrong it was. Peter pushed it down. Dr. Stark knew who the Vulture was, and the Avengers were more equipped to deal with him, and Peter had promised to stay away. So, Peter made his way over to Liz and asked her to dance. It was fun for the first 2 songs. Peter was momentarily able to forget what was going on and just enjoy himself.

That was until that gut feeling came back. He had to go do something. He had to track down that Vulture guy and help the Avengers before this feeling got worse. Peter apologized to Liz and he ran out of the gym. In the math hallway, Peter had a secret set of lockers that he stored the old suit and spare web shooters in. He lifted up the licker set, threw on his costume and shooters and ran outside.

Once Peter got outside he started to run in the direction Toomes had driven off in. That was until he got zapped by some ass with a shocker ray. Peter's web shooter got blown off his arm when he hit the side of a bus.

Defenceless, Peter was thrown through one of the school buses as it rolled over. Peter ran out of the bus to confront his attacker. Unfortunately, Peter was woefully outmatched. Sure he could run and use his bare hands to fight, but his attacker had a FUCKING ZAPPER RAY! Peter knew he had to act and soon. He took to a run and was just about to be hit by one of the blasts from the zapper when it stopped. Ned had arrived and retrieved his web shooter. Together they were able to web up the attacker and get going.

Peter gave Ned instructions to get to the computer lab and track his phone and to call Tony Stark. Peter gave him a very specific set of instruction on what to tell Tony and where Peter was going. Ned nodded and the two took off in separate directions.

Once Peter got to the front of the school he saw a golden opportunity. Flash was just driving up with his date and Peter needed a car to move faster. So naturally, as payback for all the shit Flash had put him through, He "borrowed" Flash's car and phone. He got Ned on the line and they were able to track Peter's phone which he had planted in Toomes's car. They were able to track the car to an abandoned warehouse in Brooklyn. Ned gave Peter the directions while he told Tony what was going on. The Avengers were soon on the case and they would try to meet Peter at the warehouse as soon as they could.

The whole time that was happening, Peter was freaking out about being behind the wheel of a car. May had only taken him out to drive in parking lots a few times. Driving on the busy streets of New York was so different. He definitely put a few dents and scratched on Flash's car that was for sure.

When Peter arrived at the warehouse, he was alone. The Avengers weren't there yet, and Peter didn't have time to wait. He stormed into the building looking for Toomes. The building itself was dilapidated and mouldy. There were a few stray computer screens showing weapons designs. They looked really advanced and Peter got worried. Suddenly, the horrible feeling was back. Peter turned his head to the table beside him. On that take was a blood-covered knife. It looked fresh like it hadn't been used too long ago. Peter shivered and kept walking.

Peter rounded on a large pillar and was greeted with the face of Adrian Toomes. What happened next was exactly what Peter was expecting. Toomes began monologuing and Peter listened while trying to get a handle on the guy's motives. It wasn't until he started to heavily insult Tony Stark and the rest of the Avengers that Peter understood. Toomes was just another person who blames everything that went wrong in his life on the people who fought to save it. Instead of blaming the villains who were defeated at the end, he blamed the heroes still standing. Naturally, Peter jumped in to defend the people he cared about.

"You look like a decent kid Peter. You should have run when you had the chance."

Toomes's suit bust through the wall of the warehouse and concrete was sprayed everywhere. It circled the room a few times taking out most of the support struts. Peter was confused on what was happening. It only took a few moments for him to realize what had happened. There was a loud crack and suddenly Peter was being buried in rubble. He lost sight of the Vulture as a large slab on concrete pinned him to the ground.

Peter was coughing and sputtering as he tried to get the rubble off of him. It hurt. It hurt so bad that Peter thought he was going to die. There was water at his feet from a broken pipe Peter could feel blood on his lips.

"Somebody! Help! Please help me!" shouted Peter. He was starting to get really scared.

"ANYBODY! PLEASE! PLEASE HELP ME! IT HURTS! PLEASE HELP ME!" cried, Peter. Maybe somebody would hear him. The Avengers were on their way. Ned had said they were. But he couldn't stay here. There was concrete pressing on his chest and it hurt like hell. Peter looked down at his reflection in a puddle of water near his head. He looked so banged up, but not too horrible. He may be feeling like shit, but he was still alive. He could still fight. He could still protect the people he cared about. Peter used all his strength to push the rubble off of him. He screamed and shouted while doing it, but soon he was free and ready to kick some vulture ass.

Peter ran out of what remained of the building and saw the Vulture perched on the roof. He didn't see Peter at all. The Vulture took off and Peter only had seconds to attach himself to his wings. They were in the air for only a moment before Peter saw his destination. Toomes was heading to the old Avengers Tower that was now being used as an SI manufacturing plant. That wasn't good. Peter had to act.

Peter pulled hard on his web causing the Vulture to veer off course. Toomes looked back at him and the two started grappling in the air. Peter ended up pulling on Toomes's legs while getting kicked repeatedly. Peter had succeeded in getting Toomes off course and he could see Cony Island nearby. Perfect. If he could get Toomes on the ground to fight it would work more in his favour. Peter shot some webbing at the right wing on the suit to stop its movement. Unfortunately, Peter was just a little bit off and he got the webbing stuck in the turbine.

They went down like a tone of bricks.

The fall wasn't graceful. Toomes was still trying to gain control over the situation. Because he was fighting Peter he wasn't looking where they were going, and his broken wing slammed into the side of a roller coaster. Flames shot out of the suit and the two hit the sand rolling.

Peter spit out sand as he made his way to stand up. If he hadn't had his powers he would surely be dead. There was no doubt about it. Peter looked at his surroundings. There were flames and broken roller coaster parts scattered about the sand. Toomes was right in front of him.

Peter ran at him at full force. He needed to stop Toomes and fast. If he didn't he was going to die. Peter couldn't wait for the other Avengers to find him. It needed to end now. The two began fighting hand to hand. Peter wasn't pulling any of his punches. Toomes wasn't either. It really was a fight to the death. It was after a particularly nasty right hook thrown at him that Peter noticed something. It looked like Toomes's wings were about to explode. Peter didn't have much time to get away before they went off.

The resulting explosion wasn't really that big. Just enough to throw Peter back a few yards and to incapacitate Toomes. Peter scrambled to his feet to web up the criminal while he came back to his senses. Peter made sure to do a thorough job. He couldn't risk Toomes getting out before the Avengers got there. He was just adding the finishing touches on his webbing when Toomes decided to open his mouth and ruin Peter's life.

"You'd better run back home to that Aunt of yours Peter. It would be a shame if something happened to her." Sneered Toomes as he spat out blood. Peter's eyes widened at the statement. Had something happened to May?! Peter took off running. He needed to get home and fast. The feeling in his gut getting worse.

MTHS

Tony and the rest of the team were on route to the warehouse when they saw the explosion. That spurred the team into action faster than they already were. If Peter was hurt, he would need their help. Tony climbed into his suit and took off as fast as he could. The rest of the team trailed behind him. When Tony arrived at the warehouse in Brooklyn it was barely standing. This wasn't good at all.

"Peter!" He yelled. Tony began sorting through rubble as fast as he could. If Peter was under there, then they needed to get him out asap.

The rest of the team was close behind and soon everyone was shifting rubble looking for their favourite spider child. Tony used the suit to shift a particularly large portion of rubble when he found it. On the ground was a red and blue piece of fabric. Peter's colours. Tony stood there for a second shocked. Where was Peter? He was probably hurt and alone and that thought alone scared Tony to death. Kids should never be alone when they were hurt. Tony started to work faster, calling out Peter's name loudly.

That was when the saw the second explosion.

Tony saw it first, and soon him, Rhodey, Sam, and Vision were in the air going towards the source. The others hopped in their vehicles to follow. When the team got to Coney Island, it was a mess. There was fire and debris everywhere. On the ground was Adrian Toomes. He was webbed uptight to an old roller coaster support strut. Peter has been here, but Tony couldn't see him anywhere. He marched over to Toomes to ask him.

"Where's Spider-Man?" he growled. Peter was hurt and alone. Tony needed to find him.

"Peter… You'll find out soon I bet." Smiled Toomes. Tony just got angrier. None of the Avengers made to hold him back as he grabbed Toomes by the neck.

"I'll ask this one more time. Where. Is. My. Kid?" spat Tony. His own words surprised him. When Had Tony stated to think of Peter as his kid along with Carter. Tony didn't have too much time to dwell on the mater because the FBI had arrived and were ready to take Toomes into custody.

"Tony," Whispered Steve as he pulled Tony into a hug. "are you alright darlin'?"

"I don't know where he is. He doesn't have a phone. He doesn't have his good suit. He could be anywhere. What if he's hurt and scared. We need to find him" panicked Tony.

"We will. I promise you we will." Whispered Steve as he held Tony close. That was when FRIDAY reported that he had an incoming call.

"This is Tony Stark." He said accepting the call.

"Dr. Stark… I need… I…" Tony heard from the other end.

"Peter! Is that you?"

Tony got a "Yes" in reply followed by the sound of crying.

"Peter, what happened? Are you alright? Where are you?" asked Tony as calmly as he could.

"I… I need help. Please, Dr. Stark! I need your help!" bawled Peter on the other end of the line.

"Steve and I will be right there Peter, but you need to tell me where you are."

"Mount Sinai Hospital." Whispered Peter though the tears."

"Alright, Peter. Just stay put. Ok, Underoos?"

Peter mumbled something, and the line died. Tony and FRIDAY track the exact location of the phone used and soon, Tony had Steve climb onto his back and they were flying off to the hospital.

When they landed, Tony let Steve off his back and stepped out of the suit. He sent the suit to stand watch at the top of the building. They walked in past the very crowded ER to one of the back waiting-rooms. It was empty at this time of night, except for the young teen dressed in red and blue curled in on himself in one of the chairs. Tony and Steve walked over to him and quickly saw the tears streaming down Peter's face.

"Peter are you alright?" asked Tony. He didn't get an answer, just an armful of crying teenager. From what Tony and Steve could see Peter didn't have any serious injuries. Other than a cut on his lip and some visible bruises he looked fine. So why was Peter in the hospital crying? Tony and Steve just held Peter and tried to calm him down. They were succeeding when a woman dressed in a black pantsuit walked into the room.

"I thought he was lying when he said he was calling Tony Stark." Spoke the woman. That seemed to upset Peter.

"Who are you?" asked Steve and Tony continued to try and calm Peter down enough to talk.

"My name is Nancy Rodefell. I work for the Department of Child Services." Spoke the lady.

"What happened?" asked Steve again.

"Peter's guardian, May Parker, was murdered this evening. Peter here walked in and found the police clearing the scene." Peter cried harder and Steve and Tony were at a loss. Tony helped Peter sit down so he could be comfortable.

"Is there anything we can do?" spoke Steve as he too sat down at the news.

"You can help calm him down. He obviously knows you. But, after he's calm he'll need to come with me." Spoke Nancy all too professionally.

"No he won't," spoke Tony.

"I'm sorry Mr. Stark but it's the law. He can only leave with a named guardian."

"Go check May Parker's will. I'm named one of Peter's guardians in the event that something like this happens. Go check her will. I won't let Peter go into the system if I can avoid it." Said Tony sternly. Nancy nodded and went to go talk to the lawyers.

"What are you doing Tony?"

"May made me one of Peter's guardians back in July. She didn't have anyone else named and she saw how happy and safe Peter was with us. She just wanted him to be safe and protected." Peter was starting to calm down a bit with Tony and Steve holding him and protecting him. He pushed back from Tony's hold just a little bit to look at his mentor. Peter's eyes were red from crying and he looked exhausted.

"Peter buddy, do you think you can tell us what happened? Asked Tony as he moved his hand to Peter's shoulder.

So Peter did. He told them about the knife in the warehouse. He told them about the aerial fight and crash on the beach. He told them about what Toomes said and how that when he got home, the police were already there bagging up May's body. By the end, Peter was crying again and Tony and Steve were holding him tighter.

Nancy came back to see the three of them hugging and crying. She had to interrupt them to tell them that Tony's claims were verified. She gave Tony some paperwork to sign so that he could gain custody of Peter until he could file for adoption should he choose. While that was going on, Steve took the time to inform the rest of the team what had happened. Bucky promised to send a car to meet them when they were ready to take Peter back. They left as soon as the paperwork was done. Peter was silent the whole ride home to the compound.

The three days before May's funeral where the longest three days ever for Tony and Peter. Peter was up most nights with nightmares and Tony was there to comfort him after every single one. The day after the incident, Peter called Ned and MJ to tell them what happened. There where a lot of tears.

All the Avengers were there to help. Steve and Tony made sure he ate and that he felt safe. Just as parents would. Sam, Scott, and Clint were there to make him smile. He didn't, but they tried. Carter and Lila made Peter some special drawing to make him feel better. Even the animals, Curie and Mr. Bigglesworth, tried to comfort Peter.

The day of the funeral was emotional. The whole team and their families where there, as well as some of May's work friends, Ned, and MJ. Peter had trouble keeping his emotions under control. Everyone understood. Ned and MJ understood that Peter would be taking some time away from school. Ned promised to keep him updated. MJ promised to harass Flash for him. That brought the first smile to Peter's face in days.

The funeral itself was quaint but beautiful. The sun was out, and the day was warm. Like May herself was giving Peter one last hug. She was buried beside Uncle Ben and across from Peter's parents. After the funeral, Tony pulled Peter aside to talk to him.

"Peter, I just want you to know that you're not alone in this. Steve and I are here if you need to talk or vent or do whatever you need to do. I know what you're going through. I've been in your exact position. You're not alone Pete. Just remember that ok. It may hurt now, but it gets easier. I promise." Soothed Tony. Peter nodded and lent in for a hug.

The next little while would be difficult. That was a fact. At least Peter knew that there where people who cared about him to keep him safe while he healed. Peter would never forget May and Ben. Never in a million years. But maybe, just maybe, he could grow to accept his new family.

* * *

I'm starting to think that these movie-based chapters just keep getting longer and longer. Just wait till we get to infinity war. I'm sorry that I killed Aunt May. I didn't really want to, but it was really the only course of action I could take to add the drama and family I needed to move forward. Anyways, I really hope that you enjoyed my take on SMHC. This story is fundamentally about how other people see Tony and this was really the first time we get to have a completely outside perspective on the man. Sure we see how Steve thinks, but it's not the same. Dad Tony is fundamental, someone who cares way too much about his kids. I can't wait to show you how this dynamic will change moving forward. As always, your comments are appreciated and thank you for reading. I'll try to get the next chapter out as soon as I can, health permitting. Until next time -Shadows.


	19. One of Us!

Hello friends! I hope you're all doing well. Sorry, this took longer than I wanted it too. Canada is currently in a massive heat wave and it's honestly too hot to do a lot of work during the day. I'm hoping that where ever you are is cooler than 40 Celsius. It's too hot. I live in the mountains! It doesn't get this hot in the mountains! This chapter is more a series of little snippets from life at the compound. It's mostly cute stuff. Also, this chapter contains some spoilers for the musical Hamilton. I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

Adapting to having an extra child living full time at the compound wasn't that hard. Tony and Steve went out of their way to make sure that Peter was safe and healthy. Peter stayed shut in the compound for a full week before he decided to go back to school. He told Tony that May would have wanted him to continue learning.

Tony tried to keep a routine going with his kids. It was a little bit hard. Life at the compound was hectic on a good day. Everyone was always coming and going. Some people were on aid missions. Some people were training. Some were stuck in board meetings. Either way, having a schedule was important to have for the younger kids and Peter, who was still grieving deeply.

On top of all the crazy of the compound, Tony was also fighting a custody battle to keep full custody of Peter. Right now, he was only his guardian as named by May in her will. His lawyers were pushing Tony to go through with a full adoption and Tony was at a bit of a loss. On one hand, if he adopted Peter it would be harder for someone to take him away and have the kid end up in the system. Tony couldn't do that to Peter. He was safer at the compound with him and Steve. On the other hand, Tony didn't want to pressure Peter into becoming one of his kids if he felt uncomfortable. Peter may be 15, but he could make his own decisions. Sure, society believed that he couldn't, but Tony knew better. Peter was a bright kid. He deserved a say in the matter.

Peter was at school and Carter was down for an afternoon nap when Tony brought up the topic with Steve. The two were in Tony's lab. Tony was working on a new project for SI and Steve was drawing. It was just part of their normal routine at this point.

"So I was talking with my lawyers the other day." Said Tony. Steve looked up from his sketch pad and walked over to his boyfriend.

"What did they say?"

"They said I should push for full adoption with Peter. I'm all cleared for it because I'm already his guardian and all the other legal stuff is taken care of."

"I'm sensing a but here Tones."

"I don't want to pressure Peter into it. He just lost the last remaining member of his biological family. He's upset, and I don't want him to deal with all the shit the Stark name brings with it right now." Sighed Tony.

"Maybe you should talk to him. See what he thinks." Said, Steve, as he brought his arm around Tony.

"I might have too. It's already October. I don't think we can wait too much longer on this."

So, the next day when Peter got home from school Tony pulled him aside. He made sure to give Peter a snack before taking the teen to the lab. The lab, like the old living room couch, was a great place to talk about sensitive subjects. Peter was a bit confused as he was lead down to the lab. He wasn't working on anything down there and he wasn't in trouble for anything as far as he knew. Tony lead him to the couch in the corner and the two sat down.

"How was school today Peter?" asked Tony. Better start off with the easy questions before getting to the hard stuff.

"It was ok. Flash ran headfirst into his gym locker and Ned got it on video." Said, Peter. He still wasn't his normal self after the incident.

"That sounds funny. I know that Flash is a douche so him doing something idiotic is almost expected." Peter almost smiled, but not quite. He still looked sad.

"Listen, Peter, I brought you down here to ask you something." Peter looked up at Tony and nodded. "I had a talk with my lawyers the other day. Now legally I'm your guardian. Nothing more than that. Now my lawyers are pushing me to officially adopt you. I wanted to get your opinion before I did anything." Spoke Tony softly. He didn't want to stress out Peter with all this information.

"What would adopting me do?" whispered Peter as he looked down at his hands.

"Well, it would make it so you're officially part of the family. You would be entitled to inheritance and it would make it harder for people in positions of power to take you away from me." Said, Tony, as he wrapped his arm around Peter's shoulder.

"I don't want to be a burden." Mumbled Peter as he closed his eyes. Tony just held him closer.

"Peter, you're not a burden. Never think that you are. You are not a burden on my resources. You're a good kid. You deserve a safe place to call home. Now, I know that Steve and I will never be able to take the place of your Aunt and Uncle. We never plan too." Peter sniffled and tried not to cry at the mention of his aunt. "Peter, Steve and I already think of you as family. Carter loves you and looks up to you. The team loves having you around. You are not a burden. You never will be." Soothed Tony.

"You really want me?" asked Peter finally making eye contact with Tony.

"Yes, Peter. I want you in my family. But, the decision is yours. I won't force you to do anything you don't want to."

"If I say yes, could I keep my last name and become a Stark. I don't want to lose the last connection to May and Ben." Asked Peter.

"Of course Peter. I would never ask you to give that up." Pressed Tony. Peter lent in for a hug.

"Can I think about it?" mumbled Peter.

"Of course you can Underoos. Take as much time as you need."

After that Tony let Peter go get changed and washed up before dinner. That night Tony told Steve what he had told Peter. Steve, the amazing boyfriend that he was, was there to support Tony and alleviate his fears. The next morning, Tony was surprised when Peter came down for breakfast wearing a "House of Stark" shirt from Game of Thrones, Tony was all smiles. A few days later, the last of the paperwork needed to adopt Peter went through and things were official. The next week at school, Peter Parker-Stark walked in the front doors just a little bit happier than he'd been since May died.

MTHS

While Tony was finishing up all the work with his lawyers, Steve took it upon himself to spend some time outside with Peter and Carter. He liked spending time playing with the boys, and with Peter becoming Tony's legal son, Steve knew he had to make the time to know the kid. Someday Peter might call him Papa too. Steve just wanted to make sure that he understood that he had adults that he could rely on.

Steve decided to take all the kids outside to play soccer one day after school. It was fun. It was kids against Steve and Peter. Cassie Lang was already taking soccer lessons as an extracurricular, so she was pretty good. Clint's son Cooper was at volleyball practice, so he wasn't there to play.

It was good fun. The kids were active, and it gave Laura, Clint, and Scott a rare moment of peace. Nathaniel was down for a nap and everything was peaceful. Steve and Peter had to make sure that they kept their strength under control when they kicked the ball. If they weren't careful they could easily kick the ball all the way across the compound lawn.

Steve was just about to score a goal when he was rudely interrupted by Sam flying above him screaming "ON YOUR LEFT!". Steve jumped about a foot in the air. He turned around and started yelling at his friend. About a minute later he was met with the loudest laughter he'd heard in weeks. Steve looked at the ground and saw Peter rolling around in the grass laughing his ass off. Steve had no idea what was so funny. He was just glad Peter was smiling again.

When they got back inside Peter was still laughing. That laughter was quickly added too by Tony and Clint when Peter showed them something on his phone. Later that night, when Steve was scrolling through his Instagram, did he find out why Peter was laughing so hard.

Peter had posted a picture of Steve yelling at Sam, except Sam was cropped out of the picture. So it looked like Steve was yelling at nothing. Underneath was a caption straight out of The Simpsons, "Old Man Yells At Cloud!" Even Steve had to admit that it was funny. Tony was even still laughing at it as they went off to bed.

MTHS

As October continued on. So did life at the compound. Although, life at the moment was troublesome. With the presidential election fast approaching, everyone seemed to want to know how each of the Avengers was voting for. Most of the news outlets had some pretty funny theories on who some of the Avengers would be voting for. For instance, the press thought that Steve and Tony would be voting Republican because one was a businessman and the other was the literal embodiment of America. They couldn't be more wrong. Both men hated Trump because of his hatred for people who were different. People of different cultures, religions, and sexual orientation should be celebrated not berated with hate. These were the people that the Avengers worked hard to protect every time they went into battle. Tony had a particular hatred for the man. Anybody who thought that sexual assault was ok was instantly in Tony's black book.

So, with all the election hoopla and the endless questions being asked in interviews, the team had had enough. One afternoon, while kids were at school or otherwise occupied, the team got together with a few others like Hank Pym and Hope Van Dyne, to make the worlds most glorious anti-Trump PSA. Each member gave a short speech with such lines such as; "He's proven himself to be racist. If America is a melting pot of cultures why would we even elect him?" and "Trump obviously thinks that sexual assault is ok. That just makes him a garbage human." It ended with a big FUCK YOU TRUMP written in rainbow colours. If that didn't get their message across than nothing could.

That night, around 2 am, Tony was walking around the compound. Nightmares had pulled him from his sleep and he didn't want to wake Steve. He dreamt of that blasted voice again. The same one from his vision over a year ago. This time, his dream was tinted purple and he woke up in a cold sweat.

So instead of waking Steve, Tony decided to take a walk around the compound. It was a nice night. There wasn't too much of a breeze nor was it too cold out. Tony walked around the compound. He walked past the hanger and garage first. It was silent out. All he could hear were a few lingering bugs and a plane overhead. The world continued to be silent as Tony made his way to the back gardens. They were located near everyone's living courters and were phenomenal. The gardens gave the children a safe place to play. There were large oak trees for shade, some nice flower beds, the pool for the summer, and a playground for the kids. Other than his lab, it was Tony's favourite place in the compound.

So, Tony made his way back there in hopes of clearing his mind. He wasn't alone in that thought. When Tony got there, Buck was sitting on the grass looking up at the sky. Tony walked over to him, making sure that he made noise in his approach. Bucky tended to startle easily.

"Looks like I'm not the only one out here enjoying the night." Spoke Tony as he approached. Bucky sat up and turned to face him.

"Nightmares." Was the only answer Tony got.

"Join the club. We've all got out demons here. No judgement." Tony sat down next to Bucky. They sat in silence for a while before Bucky spoke up.

"I never did apologize for killing your parents. For what it's worth, I'm sorry." Said Bucky. Neither looked at the other one. The awkwardness was palatable. It took Tony a moment to come up with a response.

"I don't blame you. Not really. When Steve first showed me the footage years ago I did. But now… Look, Barnes, none of this was your fault. You were captured and brainwashed by evil Nazis. You suffered too. I don't blame you, Barnes." Said Tony softly as the two looked to the night sky. It was a clear night and the stars shore like diamonds.

"Just because I didn't really have a say in what my hands did doesn't mean I can't feel bad about it." Muttered Bucky as he finally turned to face Tony.

"I get it. Sometimes having your actions cause consequences that weren't really your fault is the worst."

"I'm still sorry for killing your mom and dad." Tony just sighed and looked Bucky in the face.

"You're still new here so you don't know all the rules yet. We don't talk about Howard Stark here at the compound. I will tell you this, I don't blame you for killing Howard." Bucky just looked at him with understanding.

"He was kind of an ass, wasn't he. Not to Steve of course, but to me and the rest of the Commandos. I guess he didn't get much better?"

"I know this is going to sound morbid and horrible, but you did me a favour by killing him." Bucky looked at Tony with wide eyes. Tony had to elaborate. "Some information was about to come to light that I didn't want him finding out. I can guarantee you he would have killed me if he found out what happened." Bucky nodded. He knew better than to ask what had happened.

The two got to talking. They talked about their messed-up childhoods. About all the trouble they got into as kids. They each told stories of their lives. Truth be told, Tony and Bucky got along really well. They were quite similar. Bucky had even told him that if he hadn't been drafted for the war, he would have liked to work in science and technology.

"You know, you were my favourite Commando growing up." Bucky smiled.

"Why's that?"

"Howard was always gushing about the great Captain America. It drove me insane. So, I always had Aunt Peggy tell stories about you. I uh… I even had this special Bucky Bear when I was really little. It's the one toy I was able to hide from Howard." Blushed Tony as he revealed one of his secrets. Bucky just laughed.

The conversation turned to talking about Steve. Bucky wanted to know how he and Tony got together. Tony was more than happy to tell that happy little tale. They talked until the sun rose and Steve called them in for breakfast. Steve didn't question why they were out there. He was just happy that his fella and best friend were getting along.

MTHS

The last week of October, Tony let Peter invite Ned, MJ, and Shuri to stay at the compound. Tony thought that it would benefit Peter to spend more time with kids his own age, not just Carter and the other kids of the compound.

Peter and Carter had taken to becoming brothers like a duck to water. It was nice. Tony was an only child and had longed for a sibling to play with when he was young. Now Carter and Peter would always have each other no matter what.

Peter was eager to have his friends come over. Sure he saw Ned and MJ at school, but he only got to talk to Shuri on SKYPE like once a week. So, forgive Peter if he was excitedly waiting outside for his friends to get to the compound. He had all these activities planned and he was ready to go. They were going to have a Star Wars marathon and play some board games. Tony helped him construct an epic pillow fort in their wings living room, so they would all have room to sleep and it was the pillow fort to end all pillow forts. And the best part, Their get together fell over Halloween! They were all going out trick or treating that night. It was going to be Shuri's first Halloween and everyone was excited. Tony said he would drive them to one of the upscale neighbourhoods, so they would get the best candy. This was going to be AWESOME!

Ned and MJ were the first to arrive. Both were super excited to see the compound. Peter took them inside and lead them to the living room to put their stuff down. Most of the Avengers were out training or doing other stuff so Peter and his friends had the place to themselves for the most part.

After the teens put their stuff down, they went over to the hanger to wait for Shuri. She was arriving from Wakanda by one of her own ships that she designed. Peter was incredibly excited to introduce her to Ned and MJ.

When Shuri arrived she ran over to hug Peter. Sure the talked over Skype a whole bunch, but there's something to be said about being with each other in person. Peter went and introduced everyone, and he lead his friends back inside. The teens quickly set up their sleeping space and got to playing some Cards Against Humanity that Peter had snagged from Clint. They played together for a solid hour before they were interrupted.

"Hey, Kiddos. Dinner's ready." Called Tony as he walked into the room with Carter on his hip. The kids all got up and ran to the kitchen to get whatever food there was before all the other Avengers got their first.

Dinner that night was pizza. Tony made sure to order as much as he could. With a compound full of superheroes and teenagers they needed as much food as possible. The kids were having fun. Sam and Rhodey were telling the teens some jokes and stories. Cooper was telling his father about his last volleyball game. Cassie, Lila, and Carter were sitting on the floor eating their pizza and playing with some blocks. Little Nathaniel Barton was fast asleep. Tony smiled as he looked at everything. The room was full of smiles. This whole scene before him was something he never thought he'd get the chance to see. It was nice. Steve smiled at Tony and took his hand. This was nice, and Tony wouldn't trade it for the world.

After dinner was when things got really interesting. Carter decided to tag along with his brother and Peter let him. Carter was a good kid. He could handle all the crazy. The teens went back to their fort and Peter got out some sheets of paper with writing on them. They had been planning this for a while. They really wanted to start their own Dungeons and Dragons campaign. They had their characters planned and everything. They just needed a DM to run the game. They were just about to make Carter choose for them when once again, they were interrupted.

"I heard yelling. Is everything alright here?" asked Tony as he walked into the room.

"We want to run a DnD campaign, but we can't decide on who should DM." complained Peter from his spot on the floor.

"DnD! I remember playing that game with your Uncle Rhodey at MIT. We had Dum-E be our DM then. He wasn't very good at it, but it was still fun." Smiled Tony as he thought back to simpler times.

"You used to play?" asked Ned. "That's super cool Mr. Stark!"

"I can DM for you kids if you want." The teens and Carter nodded eagerly, and Tony left to go grab his dice.

Steve found them later that night. They were all gathered around the coffee table. Papers and dice were scattered everywhere, and Carter was curled up in Tony's lap. The man in question had the teenager's complete attention and he made voices to convey different characters. When Tony was done speaking, Peter, Ned, MJ, and Shuri scrambled for their dice so they could roll. They all began shouting out numbers and coming up with plans. Steve didn't understand any of it. He just smiled and brought them all some snacks. Whatever it was, it looked like fun.

The next day, Peter and his friends had a Star Wars marathon. They tried to recreate their favourite scenes using Shuri's homemade light sabres that she brought. Tony just about had a heart attack when he saw them swinging them around outside. What didn't help was the fact that Rhodey and Scott had joined in. Life at the compound was a bit crazy sometimes. That night all the kids of the compound had a movie night, so the adults could get ready for Halloween.

The next day was a whirlwind of activity. All the kids made sure that all their costume stuff was ready to go and that they had bags for their candy. They would be going out later that evening to one of the richer areas of New York to trick or treat. It was just safer with so many children running around. Steve, being the mother hen he was, made sure all the kids had a healthy dinner before they got dressed and ready to go.

Peter was the first one to finish getting ready. He was dressed as Obi Wan Kenobi. Steve and helped him make the costume mostly from scratch. Steve had to learn to sew when he was a kid to help out his mother. It was a good thing that that skill stuck. MJ was the next one to be done. She was dressed up as Marie Curie. MJ loved female scientists with a passion and tonight was just an excuse for hero worship. Ned was next. He was dressed as a young Darth Vader to match with Peter. The two had had matching costumes every year since they were 12. Shuri was the last one ready. This was her first Halloween and she was dressed as her brother T'Challa complete with his royal sandals. The king wasn't amused when his sister sent him the photo.

Soon after the teens were done taking pictures, Steve, Tony, and Carter who was dressed as a tiny Hulk joined them. They met up with Laura, Clint, Scott, and their kids in the garage. They all piled into a couple of vans and they drove off.

The night was amazing. As any good kid will tell you, trick or treating in a nice neighbourhood was a sure-fire way to get full sized candy bars. Everyone had fun, even the adults. The kids were laughing and running around in their costumes. Peter and his friends were laughing and swapping candy bars. Cooper had some of his friends tag along. Carter, Lila, and Cassie were running around and acting like their costumes. Carter pretended to smash things, Lila was playing with her fake Widow Bites, and Cassie was pretending to control ants like her dad. All the parents got loads of pictures of the night.

Around 9, they all went back to the compound. The younger kids were sent to bed while the older ones went to go watch scary movies in their fort. The adults went on to have a bit of a party full of dirty jokes and alcohol, with the exception of Tony of course. Life was good at the compound and Tony could say that he was truly happy.

MTHS

Steve and Tony had a standing Friday night date night. Every week they went out and did something together. Some nights they went out to fancy restaurants. Other nights they went to the movies followed by a walk in the park. Each date was different, and they loved that.

They tried to incorporate each other's interests in this dates. They went to science conventions and art galleries. They went to baseball games and race tracks. No matter what they did they always enjoyed each others company for the evening. It was just time for the two to be themselves. Hell, Steve even got Tony flowers a few times before a date. And who said romance was dead.

They always made sure to at least talk to each other at the end of the day. With their crazy schedules and insane work hours, it was important for them to at least talk to each other. Lucky for them, because they had a young kid and Pepper was merciful, Tony didn't have to pull as long hours developing things in his lab like he had before.

Which was what lead to this moment.

Normally, when Tony worked in the lab he had his music playing. Normally stuff from the 70's and 80's. Occasionally when Steve joined him, he would pick the music. Back when the Avengers had first formed that had been a moment for Steve to listen to all the music that had come out since he'd gone into the ice. But now, a few years on, Steve had developed his own taste in music. Let it be known that Steven Grant Rogers loved listening to musical theatre.

Wicked, Chicago, Rent, Hadestown, Sweeny Todd, you name it. Steve loved musicals. He loved how they told such elaborate stories through song and dance. When Steve was little, before he got stuck doing USO shows as Captain America, Steve used to dream of being on Broadway. It was a private dream, but still a dream. So yes, Steve loved musicals, and his current favourite; Hamilton, An American Musical.

Steve loved it. Not only did it teach history, but it was done through the language of rap. Steve couldn't help but sing along. As a matter of fact, everyone in the compound liked it. Even Tony, who mainly listened to rock music. It made Steve happy to see everyone enjoying something together.

So, with this new revelation, Tony made sure that their next date night was one to remember. Tony didn't tell Steve where they were going. He just told him to dress fancy and meet him out in the garage. Happy was there waiting at one of their sleeker cars and Steve got in as instructed. Tony was in the back seat waiting for Steve with an envelope and a stupid grin on his face. Steve got in and Happy began the drive. After about 2 minutes, Tony gave Steve the envelope.

Inside were 2 tickets to see Hamilton!

Steve shouted and hugged his boyfriend. Tony really was the best. When they got there and took their seats, they talked for a bit before the curtains rose and the opening number of Alexander Hamilton began. It was everything that Steve had dreamt of. He was smiling like an idiot and holding Tony's hand the whole time. Steve was a ball of emotions. He laughed when Angelica told off Aaron Burr and that Mulligan was the flower girl at the wedding. He cried when Laurens and Phillip died. He cheered at the end when the cast came out to bow. Steve was on cloud nine. And when they got back home, Steve made sure to show Tony how much of an amazing night he'd had.

MTHS

The day of the presidential election was filled with stress. So much stress. All the adults went out to vote bight and early in the day. They made a trip out of it. They all voted and got pizza. Unfortunately, the pizza did nothing to calm them down.

That night everyone was gathered around the TV in the living room watching the poll results. Steve and Tony had each other's hands in an iron grip. If the talking orange squirrel won who knows what kind of anti-LGBT stuff he could do. Rhodey and Sam were worried because of the colour of their skin. They didn't have it easy growing up and they didn't want life to get any harder. Wanda and Natasha were worried, not only because they were women, but because they were also immigrants. All the parents in the compound were extremely stressed. They just wanted a safe place for their kids to learn and grow.

Everyone held their breath as the pool results came in. It was close. Very close. So close that it was only a few percentages away from each other. The room erupted into chaos as the results came in.

The Democrats had won, and America had their first female president.

Everyone was cheering and happy. This was good. The hateful people had lost this battle and now everyone on the team could focus on doing their job. After all, the whole point of the Avengers was to protect people. Now their job was a bit easier because they didn't have to contest with a giant Cheeto to get work done.

Thank fuck that Trump didn't get elected. Who knows what kind of horrible stuff could have happened.

MTHS

Now that the election was over, and things had settled more in the compound, Tony spent more time in the lab with Peter. They hadn't done much of that since May died. It was a good bonding activity and Peter learned so much every time he was down there.

Peter and Tony were both very excited. They had been working on building and coding Peter's very first AI. The physical body looked like a Roomba with claws and a small display that would help give it some emotion and was painted red and blue like Peter's Spider-Man costume. That had been finished days ago. It was the AI component that was driving them crazy.

Now, Tony was the world expert on AI. He could have done the coding in his sleep. But this what his and Peter's project and he wanted Peter to learn and make mistakes. They had been working on the coding every day after school for a week and Peter was starting to get a bit frustrated. They were going to give it one last shot before Tony took over and corrected Peter's mistakes.

Peter was perched at his table with a screen full of code and his robot beside him. He was trying to make his AI similar to his robot brothers, DUM-E, YOU, and Butterfingers. Just a little AI that would be his helper and friend. Peter was beginning to get angry with his coding. He was so close to solving it. He took a chance and typed in a few more strands of code before he downloaded it onto a portable chip. Peter took a look over at Tony, who was sitting at his workbench and doing something with nanites.

Peter took a deep breath. It was now or never. Peter took the chip and gently inserted it into the mini robot. The display screen lit up a smiling pair of 8-bit eyes and made a few chirping noises. Peter's jaw dropped. He did it!

"Dad! Dad! Look! I did it!" cheered Peter as he got Tony's attention. Tony swivelled around in his chair to look, not even realizing what Peter had said. The teen in question was sitting on the floor with his first fully functional AI. Tony walked over and gave Peter a big hug. He was so proud. The first AI is always the most special.

"Dad! I did it!" laughed Peter as Tony danced around the room.

"I knew you could do it, Pete! I'm so proud of you son." Smiled Tony.

That was when the situation set in for both of them. Peter had just called Tony dad for the first time. That made the moment even more special. The two shared another hug before breaking apart.

"Your little AI needs a name, Pete. What do you want to call him?" asked Tony.

Peter looked down at the AI who was spinning and chirping around at his feet. The AI already had such a sunny little personality. Peter thought for a moment before he decided.

"PIXEL. I think I'll call it PIXEL." Smiled Peter.

That night, father and son took some time to show PIXEL off to everyone else at the compound. Needless to say, everyone was impressed.

* * *

I hope you all liked the chapter. Disclaimer, Hamilton is one of my favourite musicals. It's right up there with Holy Musical B Man and AVPS. I highly recommend that you listen to these if you have the chance. SO, this chapter was pretty fluffy. I like fluffy chapters. They make me happy. Peter is settling in nicely, Tony and Bucky are getting along, Steve and Tony are so very much in love. It's great. Also, I'm labouring under the assumption that everyone here hates Trump. I think that's a good assumption. I'm not even American and I hate him. But to be fair, he has set up these tariffs against Canada (my home) and is a right bigot. I feel justified in hating him. Well, until next time -Shadows.


	20. Give him back!

Hello, friends, it's chapter warning time. This chapter has references to past rape and self-harm. It also uses some horrible slurs. So, the same warnings as chapters 10 and 12. Oh, joy! Reader discretion is advised.

* * *

If you asked any member of the team, the day started out just like any other. It was a snowy day in January. The kids were heading back to school after winter break. The compound was relatively quiet. Sam and Bucky were arguing about something trivial again. Clint and Laura were playing blocks with baby Nate. Natasha was working on hand to hand with Scott, Vision, and Wanda. Rhodey was off doing some work with the army. Steve and Tony were down in Tony's lab working on some new tech for the team while Carter took a nap before lunch. Everything was normal. Everything was fine.

"Carter mentioned wanting to go hunt pinecones in the woods after lunch." Said, Tony, as he saved their work to FRIDAY's servers.

"I have no idea what he wants the pinecones for. He's brought that up a few times." Smiled Steve.

"I should probably take him out before he throws a temper tantrum. He's been good lately so maybe a little adventure won't hurt."

"Are you going to be able to handle being outside for a while?" asked Steve. Neither of them liked the cold.

"I've been working on it. I should be fine. I'll take Carter out while you run that training thing with Scott." Smiled Tony as he took Steve's hand and left to go prepare lunch.

Lunch was calm. Everyone tucked in to eat their food and Carter was super excited when Tony told him that they were going. Seeing Carter smile just lit up Tony's world. He would never regret becoming a father. Both of his sons were just the sweetest. Carter was always smiling and giggling. Always wanting to learn and improve things. He was just like Tony when he was little. The only difference between father and son was that Tony loved Carter so fiercely. He would do anything to protect his children. Tony was nothing like Howard.

After lunch, Tony and Steve made sure that Carter was all bundled up in layers of winter clothes. After Carter was all bundled up, Steve made a show of making sure Tony was wrapped up in warm clothes as well. After Clint declared them "disgustingly cute", Tony took Carter outside.

The snow in the field was a little too deep for Carter to walk through, so Tony carried him until they got to the woods behind the lake. The snow wasn't as deep there. Tony smiled as he watched his son run around in the snow collecting pinecones. Carter was such a happy kid. He always had been. He didn't cry often as a baby, and he seldom had temper tantrums. Tony watched Carter pick up a particularly large pinecone with glee. Tony was just about to walk closer to his son when he felt a stabbing pain at his left temple. Before he could even make a sound, Tony's world went black.

"Tony and Carter have been out there for over an hour." Remarked Steve as he circled the living room. His training session with Scott hadn't lasted that long so they decided to watch the news in the living room.

"I'm sure they're fine. Carter probably got carried away and Tony's just indulging him." Said Scott not taking his eyes off the television.

"Tony wouldn't stay out this long. He hates the cold. It reminds him too much of Afghanistan." Murmured Steve.

"If you're that worried then go out and look for them. I'm sure every thing's fine."

"Good plan. You're coming with me, Lang." Scott grumbled but followed his leader in getting dressed and out the door.

It was definitely cold outside. It wasn't this cold when Tony took Carter out after lunch and with the way the wind was picking up, there was no way in hell that Tony would let Carter stay outside in this. Steve and Scott followed the footprints across the backfield and into the woods. From there they were able to see one big set of prints and a smaller set that seemed to zig-zag around the trees. They kept following the prints when Steve stopped and looked ahead.

Laying in the snow was Tony. The snow was stained red around his head and Carter was nowhere in sight.

"Tony!" yelled Steve as he ran towards him. Scott followed closely.

Tony was out cold. His lips were blue and there was a deep gash on his forehead. The beginnings of frostbit were visible on his cheeks and nose. Steve had Scott radio the team for back up while Steve applied pressure to the wound on Tony's face while he called out for Carter.

By the time the rest of the team had arrived with the med kit, Steve was frantic. The team split in up. Tony was taken to medical while everyone else searched the woods for the missing 4-year-old. They lost sight of any tracks when they reached the highway.

The team had to literally drag Steve back to the compound.

When they all got back, they were met with Hellen Cho with news on Tony's condition. The gash needed some stitches and there was some bruising around Tony's throat and lips. The frostbite wasn't horrible. It was closer to frost nip and could be treated easily. The strange thing was what Dr. Cho found in his mouth.

"There was a note placed inside a plastic bag found in Stark's mouth. It seems to be written in some sort of code."

"Can we take a look?" asked Rhodey. He wanted information on who hurt his brother and nephew. Dr. Cho passed Rhodey the note while Steve went to go sit at Tony's bedside. Rhodey unfolded the note and was shocked. The note was written in code alright. A very familiar looking code, but one Rhodey couldn't understand.

It was a secret code made by Tony Stark and Tiberius Stone back in the 80's.

"SON OF A BITCH!" shouted Rhodey. Everyone turned to look at him. Rhodey's hands were shaking. This wasn't good. If this really was Stone and he had Carter… Rhodey couldn't even think of what might happen.

"Rhodes, what does it say?" asked Natasha who was the most level-headed out of the group.

"I can't read it. Tony's the only one who can. It's… it's… GOD DAMN IT! It's written in a code developed between Tony and his asshole ex Tiberius Stone!" raged Rhodey.

After hearing the news, Clint and Natasha felt the need to punch something. They were some of the few people who knew about what Tony had dubbed "the incident". The others just looked a bit confused. They didn't know why the others were so angry at that news. From how the others were reacting they could piece together that this Stone guy wasn't very nice to Tony in the past.

"Somebody needs to tell Cap. When Tony waked up he'll need him there to comfort him through this." Said, Clint, as he took a few calming breaths.

"I'll tell him. All we can hope for is that this letter has directions to where the bastard took Carter." Spat Rhodey. He couldn't believe that Stone was back in their lives. He thought that beating him to a pulp after raping and pushing his little brother to suicide was enough of a deterrent. Apparently, he was wrong. Rhodey walked into Tony's hospital room. He was still sleeping, and Steve was holding his hand in a vice grip.

"Did you guys find anything?" mumbled Steve. The man looked like his world had just ended.

"We think it's Stone." Steve's face morphed into one of pure anger. "The note is written in a secret code that they made together at MIT to send love notes without getting in trouble. Tony's the only one who can decipher it." Both men looked pissed off. Stone was bad news.

"If this is Stone's doing he's a dead man." Rasped Steve. He had never looked so angry in his life.

"I 100% agree. I don't take kindly to people who hurt my brother. We just need to wait for him to wake up and we can get to work."

So, Steve and Rhodey sat at Tony's bedside waiting for him to wake up while the rest of the team got trackers and gear ready. Some of the members were pestering Clint and Natasha about why Stone was so bad. They didn't say anything. This wasn't their secret to tell.

It took two hours before Tony woke up. Laura went to go pick up all the kids from school. They decided not to tell Peter what was going on until they had more information. When Tony woke up the doctors were all over him before Steve and Rhodey could even say a word. Once they were done checking him over and Tony was more coherent, the doctors left so that Rhodey and Steve could talk to Tony.

"Where's Carter?" was the first thing Tony asked. "We were outside. It's too cold out for him to be alone. Is somebody with him?"

"Tony darlin'… how much do you remember?" asked Steve and he took his hand.

"We were hunting pinecones. Carter was getting a little far away, so I went to go get him. I don't… something hurt and I… I don't… Oh God!" panicked Tony. "Someone hit my head and I blacked out! Steve, where's Carter? Where's my son? Where's my baby?" Tony was full on panicking and Steve and Rhodey had to restrain him to the bed.

That was when Rhodey when on to explain what they knew. Admittedly, it wasn't much. They knew Carter got taken and that they lost track near the road. When Rhodey got the part about the note, Tony passed out.

It didn't take long for him to come around, but when he did Tony was met with a crying Steve and a frantic Rhodey.

"I want to see the note. I need to see the note." Whispered Tony. Steve held him tight as Rhodey passed him the note and took his free hand.

Tony read over the note a few times before writing out the deciphered message down on a piece of paper.

Hey Boo Bear. It's been a while since we last talked.

I hear you're a superhero now and you have a kid and a new BF. That must be nice.

You know what wasn't nice, sending that nigger of a roommate after me the morning after we had sex.

There really wasn't a good reason for that. I for one enjoyed myself that night. And you, you are just a

Vessel for my pleasure. Nothing more than a fuck toy.

As you've probably figured out, I have your son.

Don't worry, I'll make this easy for you.

We're at the abandoned SHIELD facility in Harlem.

I know you know where that is.

I can't promise that I haven't done anything to your son. My bosses

Were insistent that we need to rebuild forces.

I don't really condone hurting really young kids, so I'll leave him somewhere easy to find.

I will find you though Boo Bear. I always do.

I'll be seeing you soon slut.

Hail HYDRA

Tiberius Stone.

Tony's face blanched as he finished writing out the translation. He wasn't the only one. Both Rhodey and Steve looked sick as they read the note.

"We should get this to the team. The sooner we get to the location the better." Said Rhodey. He was always the most level-headed of the two.

As soon as Rhodey got up from the chair he was sitting on, Tony made to get up too. Steve grabbed his arm to anchor him to the bed.

"Tony, what are you doing?" asked Steve looking concerned.

"I'm going with you." Spoke Tony. He kept trying to get out of bed.

"Tony you're injured!" panicked Steve.

"I don't care. I'm going out there. My baby is alone and scared. In some horrible cliché, my evil ex has kidnapped my baby and I need to get him back. I have to go. I have to find him. He's my baby boy. I have to go…" Tony's voice shook as he tried in vain to hold back tears.

Despite everything Tony had been through in his life, he wasn't one to cry. Sure, there where some moments in his life that called for tears and high emotions, but those weren't often. When your father beats you and tells you that Stark men are not cry babies, you tend to listen. Especially when you're young. So for Tony to be crying, you know that things were bad. So, Steve let go of Tony's arm and let the man up.

"Let's suit up." Tony nodded, and he and Steve went to get suited up while Rhodey took the note to the rest of the team.

Tony kept his undersuit down in the hangar with his completes Iron Man suits. It just made sense. He also kept spare hand weapons there in the event that he couldn't use the suit. While Tony was getting ready, he made sure to hide a few more weapons on his person. Including a certain special dagger that he hid in his boot.

Tony met up with the rest of the team who were planning out how they were going to take the building. Tony wasn't very surprised when Clint gave him a hug. They were dad friends after all. Clint was his confidant when it came to his parenting back when Carter was first born. Clint couldn't imagine what Tony and Steve were going through right now. So, Clint's hug wasn't surprising. Wanda coming up to hug him was. Tony just sort of stood there awkwardly as she hugged him.

"We'll get him back. Carter needs to be back with his dads." Said, Wanda, as she backed up from the hug and walked back to vision.

Everyone spent the next 20 minutes planning. Steve and Tony never let go of each other the whole time. The touch was grounding for both of them. Nobody ever wanted to have a child taken from them. Tony and Steve were wrecks. They needed to get Carter back and they needed to take down Stone for good. Tony was fighting hard not to focus too much on the whole Stone aspect of this. If he did, then he might get stuck in a flashback and be completely useless in finding his son.

After everything was planned, the team put on their gear and boarded the jet. It was time to make Stone and HYDRA pay for what they had just done. You never get between a mama bear and her cubs. It wasn't a long jet ride my any standard. In fact, it was only 10 minutes long. The whole time Tony was flitting between anger and fear. He was angry over the whole situation and fearful about what might happen to his son.

Once they landed it was time to put their plan into motion. They were all going to split up to cover as much area as possible. Everyone would be in constant contact with each other and whoever found Carter first was to take him to the jet immediately. The others could find their own way home. It was more important for them to get Carter out and safe than for the others to make it to the jet on time.

They hit the ground running. Literally in Tony's case. Sure he was smart and a good tactician, but he wasn't thinking as clearly as he would have liked. Neither was Steve for that matter. Both men were freaked out by all of this. Their youngest kid had been kidnapped by Tony's rapist ex. That was enough to off put even the strongest person.

The team split up the second they entered the old facility. It looked almost untouched by time. The lights were still on and the tables and chairs were devoid of dust. People had used this building recently. Tony took off down an empty corridor. There was only one door at the end of the hall. Tony ripped the door off its hinges using the power of his suit before walking in. The room looked like it was recently used for a medical procedure. There were empty IV bags and bright lights. Tony's stomach dropped. He hoped that they hadn't had Carter in there.

Tony took a good ten minutes to scan and go over every last thing in the room. By the time he was done, Tony got a call over the com units.

"I've got him!" came Steve's voice. In the background, Tony could hear Carter crying. And it wasn't a scared cry. This was a pained cry. Tony's heart sank. What had these assholes done to his baby boy?

"Get him to the jet. I'll meet you there." Commanded Tony.

He took off his suit so that FRIDAY could gather more information on what was held in the building before he took off running down the corridor. Tony rounded a corner when he felt something wet and foul-smelling cover his face. Before Tony could even get a look at his attacker, he was blacking out and falling to the ground.

* * *

Oh, look! A cliffhanger. How will Tony get himself out of this one? Don't worry, I have a plan. As for next chapter, I'll just say this now and at the top of next chapter. The same warnings will apply. There will be nasty language and non-con themes. If you've hung in this long, I assume that you can handle that. I won't write anything explicit, but the themes will still be there. Until next time -Shadows.


	21. The dark The sun The stars

Once again, a chapter warning. This chapter has heavy non-con themes and mentions of self-harm and may be upsetting. I won't write anything graphic, but I still feel like we need a warning here.

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When Tony came to, all he felt was pain. His mind was too foggy to pinpoint exactly where it was coming from. Tony couldn't tell exactly where he was. He felt a mattress underneath him and he could feel that he was turned on his stomach, but other than that Tony mostly felt pain. His head was pounding, and it hurt too much to open his eyes.

As Tony became more aware, he was able to take note of where the pain actually was coming from. He felt sore all over. His head hurt like someone had hit him and like he hadn't gotten enough air. His throat felt like someone had stuck something large and obtrusive down it. Like he'd been choked. Well, that would explain the headache. Tony was still taking tally of his injuries when he felt it.

There was a horrible stabbing pain in his lower back and ass.

Tony's heart dropped. No! This couldn't be happening! Not again! He had to find a way out. He couldn't stay where ever he was. Tony pried his eyes open and it felt like his head was being split open with Thor's hammer. It was so incredibly painful. Tony wanted to scream and cover his eyes, but he needed to get a good look at his surroundings. He needed to get away from where he was being held and he couldn't do that if his eyes were closed. Tony was trying to keep a level head. If he fell into a flashback or a panic attack now, it was all over.

After the worst of the pain subsided, Tony took a good long look around the room he was in. The walls were made of a dark grey concrete that had small cracks running close to the ceiling. There were no windows and the door seemed to be made of thick steel and was most likely locked from the outside. The only furniture in the room was the barren mattress that Tony was laid out on. The room itself was freezing. He was most likely underground. Tony took stock of what he was wearing. He was lucky. Tony was still wearing his undersuit and boots. It looked like Stone was nice enough to keep him dressed after he assaulted him. Tony guessed it was more to keep him from dying of hypothermia than for decency.

Tony was about to try to get up when he heard a series of locks being opened. Ignoring the pain, Tony scrambled into a sitting position and pressed himself against the wall. Tony didn't want to admit it, but he was scared. The door was slammed open. The wall took the force and a small dent was made by the handle. Tony's breathing stopped once the door was open. Standing there was none other than Tiberius Stone. He hadn't changed much in the 28 years that had passed. His hair was less black and was now greyer. His face was more wrinkled and there was an obvious break in his nose, most likely from when Rhodey beat him up. Stone's face held an all too pleased smile as he stalked into the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

"Well hello, Boo Bear. It's nice to see you finally awake." Sneered Stone. "I like it better when you fight back."

"Fuck off Stone." Snapped Tony. He was scared and alone and the only emotion he could express was anger. His anger was justified, however.

"Now now sweet thing. Don't put up such a fuss." Stone crept closer to Tony, who just pressed himself closer to the wall. Stone leant down to kiss Tony on the lips. Tony tried to push him away, but Stone was much stronger and was able to pin Tony down.

"Now stop all this!" Stone commanded. "You've been out for over a day. I couldn't wait that long to take you again. It's just like old times." He cooed.

Tony stiffened and tried once again to get away. He didn't want this. He wanted out of here. He wanted to get back to his sons. He wanted to get back to Steve. Tony struggled. He kicked and punched by nothing was making contact. This was one of Tony's worst nightmares come true.

"Behave you whore!" bellowed Stone as he slapped Tony's right cheek hard enough to leave him dazed.

"Now I was going to be lenient. HYDRA said I could keep you if I could break you. They do such fun things here. HYDRA has let me truly explore my scientific interests. Like medaling around with the super soldier serum and that sceptre of Loki's. We even had a little extra serum left over. What a shame though, I think we just wasted the last of it." Lamented Stone as he pressed more of his body onto Tony.

"Now, I have to go report to my superiors. When I come back you better be ready to take me SLUT!" Stone than pushed Tony into the bed flipped him over and grabbed his ass. Soon he left the room, leaving Tony shaking and stuck in a flashback.

30 minutes passed before Tony could even concentrate enough to breathe properly. All he could think of was that first time Stone got him. Waking up trapped and in pain in his own bed. Crying in the bathroom with a razor blade. Tony was shaking and crying silent tears. He felt so utterly weak and useless. He just wanted his team to come and find him, so he could go home, cuddle his kids, and feel safe and protected in his lab.

That was when Tony remembered.

He still had all his clothes on. He still had ways of defending himself and getting help. The thought didn't stop the shaking and crying, but it was a start. Inside Tony's left boot was a small transponder and the special dagger that Thor had given him all those years ago when he found out about the MIT incident. Tony was a very lucky man.

Well, he wasn't lucky to be in this situation.

He was lucky because now the team could find him, and he could fight.

Tony hit the on button on the transponder and tucked it back in his boot. He set the dagger beside him but in reach. The logical part of his brain wanted to keep him away from the weapon while his emotions were running so high. Tony didn't want to do anything stupid like trying to kill himself again. As Tony calmed down, he started drawing up escape plans in the dust on the floor. He had plans for if the Avengers arrived before Stone got back. He had plans for if Stone bust in right that second with weapons. Tony had plans. But plans don't always go 100% the way you want them.

Tony was sitting on the floor, trying to soothe himself enough to get his head on straight. He was trying. He really was. It still didn't change the fact that he was more scared than he was in Afghanistan. This was a part of his past that he just wanted to get rid of. He had opened up to Steve and the original team years ago and he'd felt relieved then to get everything off his chest. To finally talk to someone and feel validated in his pain. And now he was stuck reliving it in a dumpy HYDRA base. Tony Stark was not amused and was ready to break out and go home.

But things never go the way you want them too.

An hour after Stone left, he returned to the room. The door began clicking open and Tony panicked. Normally he wouldn't be acting like a scared puppy but being forced to relive your traumatic youth often causes adverse reactions, especially when it came to Tony. The door creaked open and Tony scrambled for the dagger. The rubies at the hilt looked dull in the dusty light of the room. Stone entered the room and Tony pushed himself up to his feet desperately trying to ignore the pain in his lower body. He took the dagger and hid it behind his back.

"Are you ready for me Boo Bear? I feel like I've waited long enough to take you again." Asked Stone as he walked closer to Tony. Tony tried to school his features into one of defiance, but the fear won out.

"Don't give me that look sweet thing. I know you like it. I bet that I can make you feel better than that fossil of a boyfriend of yours ever could." Cooed Stone as he continued to walk closer to Tony.

"I don't want it. Never from you. Never again." Groundout Tony as his grip on the dagger tightened behind his back.

"Now Boo Bear, we had a nice thing going years ago. I want to pick up where we left off. With me being in control, and you being my whore of a fuck toy. It's not so bad. I promise not to hurt you to the point of death." Stone kept talking and Tony was ready to strike. Stone was getting closer to the point where he was caressing Tony's face and leaning in for a kiss. It was now or never.

Tony brought forth all the fear and anger he had felt for so long. He channelled that anger and fear to fuel into the dagger as he swung his arm out and stabbed Stone in the carotid artery. He pulled the dagger out with a yell and pushed Stone away from him before pushing the dagger back in in a different spot. Tony pulled the dagger out again and watched as Stone stumbled back against the wall on the far side of the room. Blood was pouring out of his neck and he was gasping for breath. Stone hit the wall and slid down to the ground with a thud.

Tony stood there and watched as Stone died on the cold hard floor. He fell to his knees as the reality of the situation hit him. This whole thing with Stone, it was over. His tormentor was dead, and Tony had done it. His hands were covered in blood and all Tony felt was relief. Years of worrying that Stone was still out there were over. The man was dead, and Tony had killed him. He could begin to heal now. And with that realization, the shock of everything that had happened in the last few days began to set in. Tony knew he had to get out before whatever HYDRA goons that were in the building found him. But Tony found that he couldn't quite move. His body hurt, and he couldn't stop shaking and a few tears rolled down his cheeks. Tony heard a loud bang in the distance, but he still couldn't find the resolve to get up and move. His mind was moving a mile a minute, and everything just hurt too much. So Tony stayed put and hoped that Steve would find him.

The team stuck to the plan. Once Steve got Carter he carried the crying child back to the jet and took off. Only Clint made it on time and he was there to help Steve. Carter was screaming and crying and nothing Steve did calmed him down. The plane landed, and Steve immediately took Carter to medical. Steve stayed with him the entire time. Carter was running a bit of a fever and he said that his right ear hurt, but there were no bruises or cuts. Steve held Carter in his lap as the doctor put some padding around his ear to help soften any noise and to prevent further damage. After giving the kid some Tylenol and having some cuddles from his Papa, Carter fell asleep in Steve's lap.

Steve held Carter on the medical bed while he waited for Tony and the rest of the team to arrive. An hour after he had arrived in medical with his son, the team came by to figure out what happened. Everyone except Tony.

"Guys, where's Tony? Shouldn't he be here?" asked Steve as he rocked Carter in his arms.

"I'm sure he's on his way. You saw what that place looked like." Commented Natasha.

"I'll ask FRIDAY where he is." Said Sam. "Hey FRIDAY, can you tell us Tony's location?" he asked.

"Boss is not currently in the armour. He got out so that he could run faster. I've lost track of him and he hasn't returned to the armour." Panicked FRIDAY with her Irish lilt.

The air in the room turned ice cold. Tony was missing. That was the only plausible answer. He would never leave his kids when one was hurt. Never! What made it worse was that the team knew that Stone and HYDRA were behind all this. If Stone had Tony, there was no telling what he would do. Steve was panicking. His youngest son was hurting, Peter was probably going to be scared one he was told what was going on, and Tony was missing and probably being hurt in the most horrible ways. Steve held Carter close and tried not to cry.

"This isn't good." Whispered Clint.

The team stood there silently for a few moments. Rhodey walked over and sat down with Steve and Carter on the bed. Rhodey and Steve had gotten close over the years. Steve thought that it was in his best interest to make friends with the people Tony considered family. The two quickly became friends due to their shared military experience. Now they were united in continuous worrying over Tony.

"We have to find him." Cried Rhodey. "He's my little brother. I can't let him live through this again!" Steve nodded and wrapped his free arm around Rhodey. Both men were extremely upset and were relying on each other for any semblance of comfort.

"FRIDAY," Spoke Bucky, "Use whatever you have to scan the entire New York area. They couldn't have gone too far." Bucky was mad. He quite liked Tony. Despite Bucky having killed his mother, Tony took him in and helped him when he needed it most. Tony was his friend and he was Steve's family. Bucky wouldn't let them continue to suffer.

"Right away Sargent Barnes." Replied FRIDAY.

"Steve, you have to tell Peter." Spoke Natasha as Steve looked up. "It has to be you. You're his Papa. It has to be you.

"I don't want to leave Carter." He whispered.

"I'll stay with him." Answered Rhodey. Steve nodded and passed Cater over with one last hug.

Bucky and Sam stayed with Steve as they made their way out of medical and back to the personal wing of the compound. Steve was a bit of a shaking mess. The past few hours had been hell. First, his youngest son had been taken and Tony was left in the snow. Then they find out that Stone was the one to take him. And when they went to rescue Carter, Tony had been taken. It was all too much. Steve had to stop walking for a second because he was shaking so bad. Bucky and Sam kept him upright and they tried their best to help Steve calm down enough to talk with Peter. Once they got to the living room, Bucky and Sam left Steve so that he could talk to Peter.

"Hi, Pops!" smiled Peter as Steve walked into his room. Peter was sitting at his desk finishing up some chemistry homework.

"Come here, Petey." Whispered Steve. Peter frowned but listened and walked over. Steve scooped him into a hug.

"Pops… is everything ok?" asked Peter. Steve just hugged him closer.

"Let's sit down Pete. I have to tell you something." Peter frowned again but sat down with Steve on his bed. Steve took a deep breath in before beginning.

"Peter, this afternoon we had a bit of a run-in with a really bad person. They tried to take your brother away from us. We got Carter back and he's having a nap in medical. But, when we went to get Carter back…" Steve's voice broke and Peter instantly knew that something was very wrong. "Peter, a very bad person from your dad's past has kidnapped him. We don't know where he is but we're going to do everything we can to find him." By the end, Steve was crying and Peter was too. Peter climbed onto Steve's lap like a small child. And Steve just hugged him in turn.

"We'll get him back. I promise you that Peter. We'll get him back." Whispered Steve as he rocked Peter back and forth.

"I can't lose another parent. I can't go through that again!" sobbed Peter. Steve just held him closer.

After an hour of both heroes trying to calm down, Steve convinced Peter to go with him back to medical. Having both his kids in one place was the best option. After making sure that Peter had something to eat, both kids were fast asleep together and Steve stayed with them. Rhodey was in and out of the room all night as everyone on the team tried to find where Tony was. They slept in shifts with someone always keeping an eye on the scanners.

Peter didn't go to school the next day. He stayed home and looked after his brother. Steve and Rhodey were in and out. Each of them taking turns watching over Peter and Carter. Carter was still upset over what happened. The poor kid was crying as he told Steve what happened. Steve was trying to stop a full-blown panic attack as Carter told him what happened. Stone and a few HYDRA agents had taken Carter for the woods. When they took him to the warehouse they injected him with some sort of serum. That would explain the fever. Steve held his kids as they cried and worried.

It was late in the evening after Tony had been missing for over a day when they finally got something. All the Avengers were in one of the labs when FRIDAY got a signal transmitted by Tony's micro transmitter. Tony must have set it off! In no time at all the team were in the air and flying out to the location of the signal.

The signal originated from a run-down WW2 training bunker. It was close to the one where Steve trained back in the 40's. As soon as they landed they were met with HYDRA agents. Everyone brought their A game. They took down the agents with extreme prejudice. Rhodey set off a large explosion that blasted open the main doors to the bunker. The team stormed in and slip up. Every single room was to be searched. They had to find Tony. They all split up and began to search.

Steve was in charge of searching the lowest levels. That was where the signal was strongest according to FRIDAY. Steve searched every room as thoroughly as possible. There was only one room left that Steve hadn't searched. It was the one at the end of the hall with the door wide open. As Steve got closer he could see a pool of blood forming on the floor. Steve's mind immediately went to the worst. Steve wasted no time in running over to the room and peering in. On the wall nearest the door was a man around Tony's age. He was clearly dead and bleeding all over the floor. On the other end of the room was an old mattress and right beside it was Tony. He was on his knees and staring at the dead body on the wall. Putting two and two together, Steve figured that the dead man was Tiberius Stone. Tony didn't even recognize that Steve had entered the room. He looked horrible.

"Tony? Tony Darlin'. What happened? Are you hurt?" panicked Steve as he knelt down next to him and managed to get Tony's attention.

"My legs, I think. And my… I don't… I can't… He made me sleep and I can't… I can't…" mumbled Tony. He wasn't very coherent, and his eyes were glazed over. Like he'd been drugged and was in shock. Tony pressed the heal of his palm against his face in confusion and stress.

That was when it dawned on Steve. Stone had once again done the unthinkable. Tony's neck was covered in bruises and scratches. There were large hand-shaped marks on Tony's throat and on his right cheek. There was blood on Tony's hands from when he stabbed Stone's throat, but there was also some blood on Tony's pants. Right around his crotch. Steve wanted to cry and shout, he also wanted to throw up. But he had to stay strong for Tony. He needed to be.

"Oh god, Tony," Steve said as he tried hard to hold back tears. Just hearing the cracks in his voice was enough to break Tony.

"I didn't want it! I didn't want it! I couldn't fight him! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" screamed Tony as he cried and curled into a ball.

"Anthony sweetie, can I touch you? We need to get you out of here and I don't want you walking and getting hurt." Asked Steve as silent tears rolled down his cheeks. Tony didn't even answer. He just latched himself to Steve and shook with tears. Steve carefully picked him up and cuddled him close as he marched back to the jet.

The jet ride back was mostly silent. Nobody what quite sure what to do. Based on Steve and Tony's reactions, the members of the team were able to figure out what happened. Rhodey felt sick when he figured it out. Tony spent the entire flight back to the compound wrapped up in a blanket and held in Steve's arms. It was reminiscent of the trip back from the HYDRA base in Sakovia a few years ago when Tony had been shown his worst fears.

When they landed back at the compound they were met with a team of doctors, including Dr. Cho. She was the best of the best. Hopefully, they wouldn't need her, but this was a situation where they might. Once Steve set Tony down in his medical bed, he was forced to leave the room so that the doctors could examine Tony under anesthetic. He was too wound up and in pain to do it awake. Steve sat outside the whole time anxiously waiting for news. The rest of the team was close by but not allowed in. The only other person allowed was Rhodey. He and Steve sat together in silence trying to comfort each other. It didn't take too long for the doctors to gather a medical report and present it to Steve and Rhodey. There were some drugs in Tony body what would work themselves out on their own. There were superficial bruises all over Tony's body that too would heal on their own. Tony's throat had been badly bruised as well so his voice would be off for a bit and it would hurt to swallow. The worst was the tearing and bleeding that Tony had suffered. Steve and Rhodey were upset by the news, but at least they had Tony back with them.

Because Tony would be resting for a while yet, Steve took the opportunity to go see his kids. They needed to know that they found their dad and That he was with the doctors. Bother Peter and Carter got excited when Steve entered their room. Carter was still running a bit of a fever and his ear still hurt. Peter was stressed out and just wanted answers.

"Pops! Did you find him?" asked Peter the second Steve entered the room.

"We found him." Peter let out a sigh of relief and got up to hug his Papa.

"Now I need you two to listen alright." Spoke Steve softly as he sat on the bed with his kids. "Now your dad got a bit hurt, so he has a few bandages and his voice might sound a bit scratchy, ok. So, we need to be careful." Peter and Carter nodded but followed Steve over to where Tony's room was. Steve left the kids outside with Rhodey while he went in to check on Tony.

Tony was just starting to wake up when Steve entered the room. Because they didn't know how Tony would react, Steve made sure to announce his presence.

"Hey, Anthony. It's Steve. Can I come in?" Whispered Steve. He didn't want to startle Tony. The answer Steve got was not the one he was expecting.

"Can I see my kids?" rasped out Tony. After everything he just went through, all he wanted to do was see his kids. Steve turned to the nurse in the room and she gave a nod.

Steve poked his nose out the door and motioned for Peter and Carter to come in. As soon as Tony saw them, both kids went running. Tony pulled both of them onto the bed and hugged them close.

"My babies. My babies." Sobbed Tony. He was crying and rocking both kids as he held them close. Tony's voice was all shaky and rough and it hurt to talk, but Tony was just glad that he had his kids. They stayed like that for a long time. After a few moments, Peter came to realize a few things. First of all, Tony had referred to Peter as his baby. Even though Peter wasn't his biologically, he was 100% family. Secondly, this was the first time Peter had ever seen Tony cry. Peter just hugged his dad harder and didn't let go for a long time. Eventually, everyone fell asleep. The nurse relented and let the family stay together in the bed with Steve keeping watch.

Morning came and with it some new revelations. Tony and Steve didn't get time to talk about what had happened until the afternoon. The morning was filled with medical tests and a psychiatric evaluation for Tony. They needed to know if Tony needed to be put on suicide watch. It was understandable given his history. Once the doctors left, Tony and Steve finally got a moment alone.

"I'm so sorry Steve." Muttered Tony after about 20 minutes of silence.

"What are you sorry for Tony?" asked Steve as he took his hand.

"I cheated on you."

"Tony…?" Steve was confused. Did Tony think that this counted as cheating?

"I'm so so sorry." Tony had a few tears in his eyes. Steve took a moment to compose himself before he spoke again.

"Tony… are you referring to what Stone did to you?" asked Steve. Tony nodded and looked down at his lap trying his best not to cry again. He'd done enough crying.

"Anthony Darlin'. No, no. that's not cheating Sweetheart." Cooed Steve as he tried to calm down Tony.

"I didn't want too. I'm so sorry Steven." Tony looked like a wreck and Steve held his hand tighter.

"Tony. I don't know what's goin' though that head of yours, but I can tell you one thing. You did not cheat on me. That monster did horrible things to you against your will. That's not cheating." Tony tried to look up at Steve but found that he couldn't. "I love you, Anthony. I love you with everything I have. I will never leave you. Never. You're stuck with me." That brought a small smile to Tony's face.

Tony and Steve's relationship had survived through a lot. They could survive through this too.

After a few days in medical, multiple evaluations, and a visit from a very emotional Rhodey, Tony Stark was finally released from medical. It would be a long road to recovery with many talks with a therapist, but Tony was determined to get better. He refused to let Stone and his memory ruin his life.

Once Tony was released form medical, Carter's doctors thought that it would be a good time to do a hearing test. They needed to know if Carter's hearing had been damaged when he was kidnapped. Carter was mostly cooperative during the tests. He sat on his dad's lap and did everything the doctor told him too. He was just a bit squirmy and upset because he was scared and just wanted to watch a movie. He was 4 though and had been through a traumatic experience, cut the kid some slack.

When the results came back, both Tony and Steve were a bit upset. Carter had enough hearing loss in his right ear to warrant the use of a hearing aid. It took a talk between Carter and Clint to convince the kid to wear them. Once Carter realized that the things in Clint's ears were hearing aids and that Clint was still a super awesome superhero, Carter warmed up to the idea. Carter requested that his hearing aid be red and blue. Like Iron Man, Captain America, and Spider-Man. The kid got his wish.

Now despite all the crap that had happened, Life at the compound continued on. Everyone was there to help each other through the tough times. Even Wanda, who had famously hated Tony back during Ultron, was there helping out when Tony needed to take a break from everything and sort out his emotions. Tony and Steve were still snuggling up to each other in bed at night. The only difference being that Steve slept on top of the covers. Tony was still too high strung and scared for much else. Steve didn't care how long it took for Tony to be comfortable again. Steve didn't care f Tony was NEVER comfortable again. He was just happy that Tony was back with him and alive. That was all he wanted. The rest could be worked on later. Tony was alive and back with his kids. That was all that mattered.

* * *

Ok, so that happened. At least one of the demons from Tony's past is finally gone so he can start working on getting better. With Steve and the rest of the team by his side, I think Tony can do it. So, we're now in the lead up to Infinity war. Pieces referenced in past chapters will really start to come into play and the story will continue to get a bit darker. In the chapters to come, pay attention to the endnotes. I may tell you to go back and reread something to remind you of a certain detail. There's more to come. I can't really believe how far this story has come and how close to IW we are. Things will all begin to make sense now. Shoot me an ask on my Tumblr shadows-in-the-clouds if you have questions. Until next time -Shadows.


	22. The Iron-Shield

Well hello, there friends. This chapter takes place right after the last one. Even with that fact, there are no major warning here. Actually, there shouldn't be any major warnings until chapter 27 so we should be good. Also, if you are binge reading this fic, this is your reminder to go drink something, have a snack, and stretch. Just looking out for Y'all. Anyways, here we go! Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

The month following the kidnappings was stressful for the Avengers. Tony was going to therapy every other day to help him work through what had happened. His therapy dog, Curie, was always found at his side to help calm Tony down when he was feeling off. Carter was perpetually attached to his parent's sides, too scared to leave in fear that the bad people would take him again. Peter was the same. When he wasn't at school or on patrol, he was with his dads. Steve split his time between the gym and his family. He ran through 8 of Tony's super soldier proof punching bags because he needed to work through his anger over the situation. Horrible people had hurt his family and all Steve only ever wanted to do was protect them. He felt like a failure.

Working through everything that happened was trough on the entire team. Nobody wanted to see one of their own suffering. Bucky became a sort of ghost, lurking in the shadows keeping a close eye on Tony and his children. Clint and Scott were close by, always ready to lend a hand when it came to the kids. Wanda, Laura, and Natasha where there when Tony just couldn't handle being around the other men at the compound. They would watch movies and eat junk food while trading gossip. Rhodey was there making sure that Tony didn't do something stupid. He was like Tony's guardian angel. Vision and Sam helped pick up the slack when it came to chores. Tony and Steve didn't need the extra stress of trying to prepare team dinners.

It wasn't easy. Tony was trying his best to get better, but everyone understood that Tony wouldn't be 100% right away. Tony was more than thankful for Steve's patience. Steve was so understanding and calm with him. He always asked before touching Tony. It was like when they were first getting to know each other years ago. They still worked as a solid unit together. They were the dream team. Forever and always.

When Tony was comfortable, Steve showered him with cuddles. It wasn't uncommon to find the two cuddling on the couch with their kids. Despite everything, they remained a close family. Tony worked with Peter in the lab and built Lego with Carter. Steve would teach Peter hand to hand and would paint pictures with Carter. Tony and Steve spent their nights just talking. They talked about what had happened and worked through their emotions together. Tony's therapist had told him that communication was important. Tony agreed, and he did everything he needed to do to get better. He wanted to get better. He had kids who needed him.

About a month after the incident, life at the compound was once again shaken up. All the older kids were at school and the adults were doing their own thing. Carter was playing nicely in his room so Steve and Tony trusted FRIDAY with keeping an eye on him while they did some work in their room down the hall. Because Tony hadn't been doing well, Pepper let him off the hook when it came to deadlines. Tony's health was more important than him signing a piece of paper. There was a reason Tony liked Pepper so much.

Unfortunately, there was only so much she could do. And with the stack of paperwork turning into a mountain, It was time to put in a bit of work. Steve was there to help out where he could. There were a few ones for Avengers contracts that needed his signature. The room was silent except for the scratching of pen on paper as the two worked.

"How are you feeling today Love?" asked Steve, breaking the relative quiet of the room.

Tony let out a breath before setting down his pen and looking up at Steve.

"Better than I have been. It doesn't feel like my skin is crawling every second. I don't feel like being touched is going to send me into a panic attack. I feel almost…normal." Tony let his eyes meet Steve's. Steve looked just as wrecked as Tony was. His eyes looked sad and he hadn't shaved recently. Both men were feeling not so normal, but at least they had each other.

"Maybe after we finish all this paperwork we could cuddle for a bit." Tony smiled a bit at Steve. The fact that Tony was the one pushing for contact was huge.

So, that was what the two did. As soon as they signed the last papers from their piles, Steve and Tony curled up together on the sofa in their room and watched a bit of TV. It was nice. Steve held Tony close and ran his hand through his hair. Even if Tony wouldn't admit it out loud, it made him feel safe and protected. Steve always made him feel safe.

Tony and Steve were just starting to truly relax when they were interrupted. Carter had come barrelling into the room crying and shouting for his parents. Tony was right there at an instant to scoop the terrified toddler into his arms. Carter was shaking and crying, and it took his parents a little while to calm him down enough to talk.

"Carter Bambino, what's gotten you so upset?" hushed Tony as he rocked Carter back and forth like he used to do when his son was a baby.

"I was playing Avengers with my stuffies and I reached for my mini Thor hammer and my hand went all gold and it flew into my hand and I got scared so I ran to find you and Papa." Sobbed Carter.

Tony held Carter even closer and tried to calm him down once he heard what Carter had to say. Both him and Steve were incredibly worried. Based on context clues they had an idea of what was going on. When Carter had been kidnapped, he told Steve that HYDRA had injected him with some sort of serum. That had been verified with the data FRIDAY had gotten from the rundown medical room Tony had found in the old warehouse. That had been even further proved when Stone had told Tony that they had just run out of serum back when the evil asshat was monologuing. This wasn't good.

"Carter, do you think you could show us what you did Jellybean?" asked Steve once they got him calm enough. Carter nodded and raised his hand to summon the pen from across the room. It took a few tries, but eventually, Carter's little hand began to sparkle gold and the pen flew towards him.

Tony and Steve looked at each other. What Carter did was almost identical to what Wanda could do, only with a gold mist instead of red. They would need to test Carter's blood and abilities against Wanda's in the near future. For now, though, Tony and Steve just held Carter close and watched Mulan. Carter's favourite movie never failed to cheer him up.

The next day, Carter was in a much better mood. Little Carter was much smarter than he let on. Either that or it was the fact that the kid had grown up surrounded by superhumans. You see, Carter had come to the conclusion that he had superpowers now. Tony and Steve, however, displeased they were, couldn't really contest the fact. After breakfast, Tony, Steve, Wanda, and Carter made their way over to Dr. Cho. She was an expert on enhanced humans and she would be able to help.

They started the day out with a blood test to look for a matching serum between Carter and Wanda. Carter hated the blood test with a passion. The rest of the morning was testing what Carter could do with his powers compared to Wanda. They turned it into a game. Even if Carter was smiling and having fun flinging things across the room with Wanda, Tony and Steve couldn't help but worry. They all took a break for lunch with Carter talking their heads off. It was after lunch when Dr. Cho gave them back the results. It seemed that Carter and Wanda did share the same telekinetic abilities. But that was where the similarities ended. It didn't look like Carter shared any of Wanda's mind manipulation stuff, so Tony was downright thankful for that. It also appeared that there was a bit of super soldier serum mixed in the concoction that Carter now had. It looked like the kid would have a bit of super strength as accelerated healing. Tony and Steve really couldn't complain about the healing factor. With an accident-prone child running around, they considered it a good thing in their books.

Tony and Steve weren't too thrilled to have another child with enhanced abilities. They just wanted Carter to grow up normal and healthy. Although, considering what had transpired, having Carter have hearing loss in one ear and some superpowers was probably the best outcome to the situation.

Helping Carter learn how to control his powers gave Tony and Steve something to focus on. It drew the couple closer together. Tony wasn't as high-strung anymore. He smiled more often, and he was letting Steve touch him freely again. Tony was still a long way from healing, but he was getting better. Everyone at the compound was happy for that fact.

Two weeks after the discovery of Carter's abilities, Carter came running into his parent's room with a piece of paper in his hands. He had been colouring very intensely for a four-year-old. He was quiet and behaving so Tony and Steve let him be, so they could get some government work done. Carter was so incredibly excited to show his parents his drawing.

"What's that you've got there Jellybean?" asked Steve as Carter climbed onto the couch between his parents.

"My superhero symbol." Smiled Carter as he held the piece of paper out for his parents to see.

The drawing was a large circle with alternating blue and gold lines. Across the center on a diagonal was a thick red line that crossed over the other colours. Right at the center in black, was a crudely drawn alchemic symbol for iron. It definitely looked like a child drew it, but Tony and Steve could tell right away what it looked like.

"This is really good Bambino." Praised Tony. "Did you model it after your Papa's shield?" Carter nodded and smiled up at his parents.

"I did Daddy! You wanna know my new superhero name?" rambled Carter. Tony and Steve nodded and smiled at their youngest child.

"It's "The Amazing Iron-Shield!" I took bits from both Iron Man and Captain America because you's are both so cool and I want to be cool too!" rambled Carter. How that kid talked so much and never seemed to need to breathe was beyond Tony. It must be the exuberance of youth.

"That's a super cool name, Carter. Do you want me to do a painting of it on your wall like I did with Peter?" asked Steve as he ruffled Carter's hair. Carter nodded with all the enthusiasm of a small child.

"Can I have it on my door to wike everyone else too, pwease?" Tony and Steve just smiled. Carter still had trouble with L's and R's turning into W's.

Both parents smiled and agreed. All the doors to each Avenger's room had a plaque with their symbol and call name on it. Even Peter's had the Spider-Man symbol and his name written on it just like the rest of the team even though he was still in training. Carter wouldn't be doing any world saving for a long time, but if it made Carter smile, Tony was all for it. He loved when his kids smiled and laughed.

That night at dinner, Carter decided to dress up. He wore a blue towel as a cape and he had Steve cut out his drawing and tape it to his shirt. Tony and Steve gave him an exuberant entrance as only dads can. The others were surprised but just went along with everything. Thor, who was visiting the compound along with Jane and Darcy, was more than excited as he proclaimed that Carter was "the fiercest warrior in all the nine realms." Carter was the happiest he'd been since the kidnapping.

That night, after they put the kids to bed, Tony and Steve went down to the lab to work on some projects. Tony was working on something with nanoparticles, and Steve was doing some sketching. When they went to bed later, Tony let Steve cuddle under the covers with him. They both slept better that night.

* * *

Yay! This chapter ended on a happy note. I hope y'all paid attention during the last chapter so that the whole thing with Carter makes sense. As much as I didn't want to hurt our precious Bambino, I thought it was important to give him some powers. This wont really come into play until way way way later. On the bright side, imagine all the trouble that kid's going to get up to once he starts school. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Before you read the next one, I highly suggest that you go back and read chapter 9. You'll find out soon enough what I've planned. Until next time -Shadows


	23. Will you have me?

Well hello again. I really hope everyone went back a read chapter 9. It's just a little bit important. I also recommend that you go and read chapter 3 of The Avengers need better PR than this! All will make sense soon. Also, maybe have a few tissues at the ready. You may get emotional. I've been so excited to write this chapter and chapter 25 for the longest time. I'm so glad I've reached this point. So without further ado, enjoy!

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February turned to March and with that came the celebration of Bucky's 100th birthday! It was one of the biggest parties the compound had ever seen. It's not every day that one of their friends turns 100. Bucky tried not to make a big deal out of it but living in the same place and being friends with one Tony Stark, it was hard not to have a big party. Steve had a large hand in planning the party. Between him, Tony, and Clint the party was a raging success.

Nothing much happened for a while after that. Tony continued to heal. Rhodey perfected the uses of his leg braces in the new War Machine armour. Life at the compound continued on. It wasn't really until April 8th that anything exciting happened.

It was just after breakfast and Peter and Carter were sitting in the living room of their families wing of the compound. They were playing with Lego while Tony and Steve were in the workshop. Tony wanted needed to do some repairs to Natasha's Widow Bites after she broke them on an aid mission. Steve was working on something important of his own.

Peter and Carter were just putting the finishing touches on their Lego rocket ship when Steve entered the room. He looked a bit nervous.

"Hiya Pops." Smiled Peter.

"Hi Papa!" giggled Carter from his place on the floor.

"Hey, kids. I need to talk to you for a moment." Peter and Carter looked at each other before sitting down on the couch on either side of Steve.

"Is everything alright Pops? Did Dad do something stupid again?" asked Peter. He wouldn't put it past his dad to do something stupid in the lab.

"No Pete, every thing's fine. I just have something very important to ask you." Answered Steve. Bother kids looked a bit confused but let Steve continue.

"Alright you two, do you think you can keep a secret for me?" asked Steve looking at both kids.

"Daddy said not to keep secrets." Proclaimed Carter with all the seriousness he could muster.

"This is a good secret, Carter. I'm planning a big surprise for your dad. So can you keep everything I tell you a secret." Carter smiled and nodded. He liked surprises.

"What kind of surprise is it?" asked Peter. Steve smiled shyly before sticking his hand in his pocket and pulling out a dark red velvet box.

Peter's eyes widened. He knew exactly what was going on and he was over the moon excited!

"You see, back in my day, it was commonplace for fellas to get permission from the parents of whoever they wanted to marry. Now, your Grandma Stark hasn't been around for a long time and your Uncle Rhodey won't give me your Nana Rhodes number, so I thought to ask you two. So, do I have your permission to marry your Dad?" asked Steve. It was clear he was a bit nervous as he asked his kids for permission to marry Tony.

"Yes yes yes yes yes! Please marry Dad!" screeched Peter as he hugged Steve as tight as he could. Well, that wasn't quite the reaction that Steve was expecting.

"What about you Carter? Can I marry your Dad?" Steve smiled down at Carter.

Carter just nodded and climbed onto Steve's lap. Steve was all smiles as he told Carter and Peter his plans to propose to Tony that afternoon. Peter even suggested that they use his spider drone to take pictures. Steve was simultaneously excited and nervous. He didn't really know how Tony would react. At least Steve had his children's blessing.

MTHS

Tony was concerned about his children's behaviour over lunch. Carter was exceptionally giggly, and Peter had a smirk plastered on his face. Either they knew something or were planning something, and Tony couldn't quite decide which was worse. After lunch, Tony was planning to go ask them. Well, that was before he was interrupted by Steve gently grabbing his arm.

"Come out for a walk with me. It's been forever since we've been able to do that." Smiled Steve. He just looked at Tony with so much love.

"I was going to check in on the boys. I think they're planning something." Answered Tony.

"They're with Laura and Clint this afternoon. They'll be fine. Come on. We deserve some alone time together." Steve still had this silly little smile plastered on his face. But it was so full of love that Tony couldn't help but agree.

Steve lead Tony outside and around the lake. They walked hand in hand and Steve tried hard not to let his nervousness show. He took them to their favourite spot on the side farthest from the compound. It was a mostly secluded spot by the water. There were a few wildflower blooms already and the water lapped gently at the shore of the lake. It was beautiful. The perfect spot. Steve took in a deep breath before he turned to Tony taking Tony's smaller calloused hands in his.

"Remember when I first told you I loved you all those years ago?" asked Steve as he smiled at Tony.

"Didn't you follow that declaration up by calling an ass for almost dying?" laughed Tony.

"To be fair your heart did stop and you're still an ass."

"Yes but you love me anyways." Smiled Tony.

Steve's smile just grew bigger and more heartfelt at Tony's words. It had taken so much time to build up Tony's self confidence to the point where he freely accepted Steve's declarations of love without putting himself down. Tony had always had horrible self-esteem and Steve was always happy when Tony was genuinely accepting of complements.

"Tony Stark I will always love you. I love everything about you. I love you smile, your laugh, all your stupid jokes. I love you no matter what mask you're wearing for the media. I love you, problems and all." Proclaimed Steve. Tony just blushed and looked at their joined hands. That was when Steve dropped down to one knee and brought out the dark red velvet box and Tony's heart stopped.

"I love you some much and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. So, Anthony Edward Stark, will you marry me?" asked Steve as he opened the box. Inside was a simple looking ring, silver in colour. But it wasn't made from silver. No, it was made of vibranium taken from Steve's shield.

Tony was stunned. Had Steve just asked him to marry him? Tony couldn't believe it. When he was young and mostly untainted by the world, little Tony had dreamed of getting married like Jarvis and Ana. He wanted to always to love and be loved by someone. As Tony got older and the world continued to hurt him, Tony had given up on that idea. And now, after years and years, Tony was at the moment he never thought he'd get. Tony went through a whole bunch of emotions. First, he felt shocked. He couldn't believe what Steve had just asked him. Second, he felt confusion. Tony couldn't understand why Steve had asked him. His mind went to all the dark places that Tony didn't want to visit. Steve was still holding his hands and it helped to ground him. Tony fiddled with Steve's dog tags that he always wore around his neck. He has barely ever took them off since Steve gave them to him. Third, Tony just felt love. Steve loved him so much and wanted to be with them forever.

Steve stayed their looking expectantly up at Tony. He could see every emotion cross Tony's face it made Steve nervous. He wanted to marry Tony so badly. Steve wanted to devote himself to Tony and their children in every way possible and marriage was one of the biggest ways he could show his love. Steve would respect Tony's decision if he said no, but he knew that on the inside he would be crushed. Steve continued to look up at Tony, and when a single tear rolled down Tony's cheek and his face broke out with a small smile, Steve knew he had his answer.

"Yes, Steve. Yes, I will marry you." Choked out Tony as he tried to keep the tears back. He was just so happy and emotional.

Tears sprung up in Steve's eyes and a smile played on his lips and Steve slip the ring onto Tony's left hand. Steve brought that hand to his lips, giving it a kiss before he stood up and pulled Tony into a loving embrace. One hand circled around Tony's waist while the other snaked around his shoulders. Tony brought both his arms up and around Steve's neck. They stood there kissing for a while, just reveling in their love. Steve was overjoyed. Tony had said yes, and Steve just knew that everything was going to be ok. Tony was enjoying all the love radiating off Steve. Tony hadn't felt much love growing up, and to know be engaged to the love of his life, everything felt amazing. Eventually, they pulled apart and just stared lovingly into each other's eyes.

"Well, I guess you've made an honest man of me Rogers." Joked Tony as he wiped a stray tear from his eye.

"You've always been an honest man Tony. Except when you're lying about having done something stupid. Like that time you and Bruce made that Rube-Goldberg machine in the lab that exploded off Clint's eyebrows." Laughed Steve as he too wiped away a stray tear.

"In my defence, we thought we had the math perfect." Argued Tony as they both laughed.

They stayed there by the lake for a good hour, just sitting by the water and cuddling in the grass. They talked and laughed and just basked in the warmth of their love. Eventually, they made their way back to the compound and were instantly greeted by Peter and Carter who smiled and cheered when they saw the ring on their Dad's finger. That night the rest of the team found out when they announced it over dinner. Everyone was extremely happy for the couple. In fact, they even had bets going on their relationship. Clint had to give up 50 dollars to Natasha because he thought that Tony would be the one to propose. Well, at least everyone was happy.

A few days later Tony and Steve posted pictures on their social media announcing their engagement. They posted a few pictures that Peter took with his spider drone as well as close up picture of Tony wearing his ring with the following captions.

captain_america_official: I asked my best fella to marry me the other day. He said YES!

tstark: Single X, Taken X, Currently engaged to a smoking hot super soldier! I said YES!

The internet went crazy with some people being supportive and others not. Tony and Steve didn't care. They couldn't be happier.

* * *

Our babies are getting MARRIED! I really hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I was so excited to write it. I hope you all caught the callbacks to chapter 9 when Steve first professed his love to Tony. Some of the things he says are exactly the same. I'm sorry that this was a bit of a shorter chapter. This was all the story I needed to tell in this one. I still hope you all enjoyed it. It was so much fun to write. Anyways, enjoy these fun chapter while they last. We all know what movie is coming up next to explore. Until next time -Shadows.


	24. You are my sunshine!

Before we begin I'd just like to say something. I've gotten a few complaints as well as insults about my spelling of certain words recently. Words like labour and colour. Well you see, I'm from Canada, and in Canada, we use the Queens English. That means that I spell some words with a U unlike in American English. I also spell grey with an E, say ZED instead of ZEE, say sorry way too much, and I made Carter's birthday on Canada Day (Canada's independence day). I hope that clears things up. If you see any errors that aren't that or if you want to beta read, hit me up. I like that kind of help. I just don't appreciate getting a whole bunch of messages and PM's insulting my English.

Alright, now onto the chapter stuff. Before you begin I recommend you go back and read chapters 1, 2, and 3 if you've forgotten about how little Carter came into the world. This one is going to focus more on the kids of the compound. Get ready for smiles, candy, and crayon coloured school projects! (and maybe an interview or two!) Also, I'm sorry this chapter took so long. I've been quite sick recently and haven't been able to write as much. I'll see you at the end. Enjoy!

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Throughout the rest of spring and summer, Tony and Steve threw themselves into planning their dream wedding. Pepper was a godsend when it came to the planning. She was more than happy to help the couple out because let's face it if she had left the boys to it the whole affair would be a disaster. So, after much planning, a date was set, people invited, and the venue ready to go. Now they just needed to get through the rest of the summer and the start of the school year.

This school year was an important one. Now, Tony and Steve had gotten used to dropping off and picking up Peter from school, but this was the first year that they'd have to do that with Carter. The second Carter had turned 5 his parents started looking at schools for him. Tony was adamant about Carter not going to boarding school as he did. Steve 100% agreed. They settled on a school for gifted children in Upper Manhattan. When they went to visit the school they made Carter take a placement test to see what class he should be in.

Carter tested in at a fourth-grade level.

Tony and Steve weren't really surprised with the results. They knew that Carter had inherited his Dad's brain. They just weren't sure if they should let Cater go into the fourth grade at 5 years old. Howard had done that with Tony and it hadn't ended well. So, they weighed the pros and cons. On one hand, if Carter skipped to the fourth grade he would for sure be the youngest and smallest in his class. There was a very high likelihood of bullying and most people probably wouldn't even listen to Carter's opinion because he was younger than them. Tony knew that feeling all too well. On the other hand, Tony and Steve wanted to nurture Carter's genius and have him learn all he could about whatever he was interested in.

They ended up making a compromise with the school administrator. Carter would be placed in second grade and he would be given supplemental work as seen fit. This way Carter could still be challenged while also being closer in age to his classmates, so he could make friends.

Carter was so excited to start school. He didn't get to spend time with kids his age often and Carter was excited to make some friends. Sure Lila and Cassie were close to his age and Carter got along fine with baby Nate, but the kid needed to start making his own friends and forging his own path. That still didn't help Tony's worries. The night before school Tony was rushing around making sure that Peter and Carter were all ready to go and had everything they needed packed up and ready for the next day.

The next morning Steve got the kids up and dressed while Tony got breakfast ready. Everyone spent the meal letting all the kids know the plans for today. For Tony, Steve, and their kids they had a pick-up/drop-off rotations planned. Tony would drop off Carter while Steve dropped off Peter. They would switch when it came time to be picked up. Once breakfast was done the kids ran off to finish getting ready while Tony finished making the kids lunches.

"Here you go kiddos." Smiled Tony as he handed Carter his Hulk lunchbox and handed a pink Hello Kitty lunchbox to Peter.

"Uh Dad, I think you gave me Lila's lunch." Grimaced Peter.

"Nope. Hello Kitty just like you asked for Pete." Said Tony trying to keep a straight face. It was when Clint and Scott started laughing that Tony broke and laughed too. He handed Peter a plain black lunch box and wished him luck before his eldest son followed Steve out the door.

Getting Carter into the car and ready to go was easy. They took one of Tony's less flashy cars and listen to the Element Song on the drive to school. Once they got there Tony parked across the street and helped Carter out of his car seat. He had his son hold his hand as they crossed the road and made their way to the front gates of the school.

Once they got there Tony knelt down of the ground next to his son. Little Carter was dressed in his lucky green Hulk shirt with his new Hulk backpack and green Hulk shoes. His son was a huge fan of the Hulk. Thought he was cool. Tony brushed one of Carter's unruly brown curls from his forehead and looked at his big brown doe eyes. Carter really did look exactly like Tony when he was his age. Tony smiled and put a hand on his youngest son's shoulder.

"Alright Carter, Bambino, are you all ready for school?" Carter gave an enthusiastic nod.

"Alright kiddo. Make sure you listen to your teacher and learn all sorts of new things ok. And no superpowers. Alright. Other kids might not understand them, so we need to keep them a secret for now ok." Carter nodded and lent in so that his Dad could give him a hug.

Tony hugged his son tight and tried not to get emotional. It seemed like just yesterday that Carter was snuggling up on his chest after he gave him a bottle. Or laughing hysterically as Tony ripped pieces of paper. He remembered Carter's first word, dada, which he said on Tony's 39th birthday. He remembered when Carter first called Steve Papa, and when he lifted Thor's hammer. Tony was used to always having Carter around and with him, and now he was going to start his first day of school. The bell rang, and Tony was forced to let his son go. After one last little hug Carter went running off towards the doors, but not before Tony got one more word of advice in.

"Carter please try to make some friends." He shouted as his son waved back at him and ran off. Tony was lucky he wasn't the only emotional parent there so the single tear in his eye went unnoticed. Tony's little baby wasn't a little baby anymore. He was a big kid now and Tony couldn't be prouder.

MTHS

When Carter walked to his classroom he felt nervous. Other than the kidnapping incident, Carter hadn't really been away from his parents or another family member (Avenger) for a considerable amount of time. This was all new to him and he wasn't 100% sure how things would go.

As Carter walked down the hall to his classroom he couldn't help but look around a bit. There were so many kids and they were all bigger than him, much bigger. So much bigger than they didn't seem to notice Carter and he ended up getting pushed into the wall a few times. His dad warned him that other kids might push him around because he was smaller and smarter. The best advice he could give was to stand up for himself and to not be afraid to ask a teacher for help.

Once Carter got to his classroom he put his backpack on the hook with Carter S. written above it in red and made his way to a desk at the front of the room with the same name sticker. Carter's parents had requested that he sit at the front on account of his impaired hearing. Once the bell rang the rest of the class took their seats and their teacher stood at the front. She was a middle-aged lady with blonde hair, green eyes and dressed in tweed.

"Good morning class. I'm Mrs. Anderson and I'll be your teacher for this year. Welcome to second grade. I'm so excited to get to know all of you this year. Now so we can get to know each other before we start our first lesson, how about we go around the room so you all can tell the class your name, a fun fact about yourself, and a fun fact about your family. Alright, let's begin at the front." Carter smiled. He had lots of fun facts about his family. They started introductions on the far-left side of the class with a girl named Aurora. A few other kids gave their introductions until it was almost Carter's turn. There was just one boy before him.

"Hello. I'm Dexter Hammer. A fun fact about me is I really like to build things because my Dad used to build things like robots. A fun fact about my family is my Uncle is the current CEO of Hammer Tech and my Mom likes to bake cakes." Spoke a little boy with brown hair, glasses, and a permanent scowl etched on his face. The boy sat down and next it was Carter's turn.

"Hi. My name is Carter Stark. A fun fact about me is that I speak three languages. I speak English, Italian, and ASL. A fun fact about my family is that my Dad is Iron Man and my Papa is Captain America!" said Carter with a smile. He wasn't bragging, he was just really proud that his parents were superheroes that helped people. To Carter, it was no different than the kids who said their parents were police officers or firefighters.

The other kids didn't clap. They just stared at Carter with a mixture of jealousy and loathing. Luckily, before anyone could say anything the teacher had the class continue with their introductions. Soon after they began their first lesson. It was some very basic meth that Carter could do in his sleep. When the teacher handed him a different worksheet Dexter sent Carter a nasty look. It made Carter feel nervous, so he just looked down and did his work.

The rest of the morning was calm. Most of what they did was just a review of things they should already know. When the bell rang everyone grabbed their lunch and Mrs. Anderson walked them to the cafeteria. That was when Carter began to feel a bit overwhelmed. There were so many kids being loud, and Carter had no idea where he should sit. Well, his Dad said to make friends so, Carter walked over to a table where he recognized a few kids from his class.

"May I sit here?" he asked. His Papa always told him to mind his manors. The other kids nodded, and Carter sat down and opened his lunch box. Inside was a thermos of mac and cheese, some baby carrots, a grape juice box, some crackers, and a note from his parents wishing him a good day at school. Just as Carter was starting to eat one of the girls at the table asked him a question.

"What's that blue thing in your ear?" asked a girl in a pink dress and pigtails.

"That's my hearing aid. It helps me hear better." Answered Carter.

"Why do you have it?" asked another girl also in a pink dress and pigtails.

"A supervillain kidnapped me and there was a big explosion and my ear got hurt." Said Carter. He was just telling his classmates the facts, so he didn't understand they there were looking at him funny.

"In class, you said that you have a Daddy and a Papa. Why do you have two dads? That's not normal. Why don't you have a daddy and a mommy like everyone else?" asked the first girl with pigtails.

Carter didn't really know how to respond. Sure he knew that some families were different from other families. His cousins Cooper, Lila, and Nathanial had a mom and a dad. His cousin Cassie had a mom a dad and a step-dad. Carter had two dads who loved him very much. Carter didn't understand what was wrong with that.

"I have two moms and no dad. My Momma just said our family is different and special." Piped up the little girl sitting right across from Carter. She had black hair done up in twin braids and was wearing an Avengers shirt.

"See," spoke Carter, "some families are just different."

The other girls just scoffed and got up from the table leaving Carter and the girl with two moms alone at the table to eat their lunch. Carter just frowned. Yes, his parents had told him that other people would have different opinions because of what their parents had taught them. Still, it made Carter feel a little sad. Carter looked up from his lunch and at the girl across from him. She stayed when all the others left so she must be nice. It was time for Carter to make a friend.

"Hi, my name's Carter Stark. What's yours?" asked Carter.

"My name's Aubrey Laurens." Smiled Aubrey. She seemed nice.

"You have an Avengers shirt. Do you like them?" asked Carter.

"I do! Thor is my favourite."

"My uncle Thor is pretty cool. One time he let me play with his hammer when he and Uncle Sam were watching me."

So the two kids instantly hit it off. They spent the whole lunch talking about the Avengers and about their favourite snacks and books. Carter was happy that he had someone to talk too, and in true childlike fashion, Carter and Aubrey became best friends instantly.

Things changed a bit once they were let outside to play.

Aubrey was teaching Carter how to play hopscotch when they were rudely interrupted by the scowling face of Dexter Hammer.

"Your daddy sent my daddy to jail so I hate you!" Proclaimed the permanently angry second grader.

"What?" asked Carter. He'd never heard about this.

"Your daddy is evil. My Uncle and Daddy said so. That makes you bad too. They said to never trust a Stark because they're good for nothing cheaters." And with that Dexter kicked Carter in the shins and ran off.

Carter didn't like being kicked at all and he sure didn't like Dexter saying mean things about his family. So, Carter reacted how any 5-year-old would. He started crying. Luckily his new friend Aubrey was right there trying to cheer him up. She told Carter funny frog jokes until he smiled.

The rest of the day went alright. Most of the other kids in the class didn't really want anything to do with Carter. So, when it came time for them to get into groups to do a reading assignment it was just Carter and Aubrey together. Aubrey was just as smart as Carter, so they finished up their work early. Carter liked Aubrey. She was funny and liked frogs and robots. Carter was glad he had made a friend.

When the bell rang at the end of the day, Carter grabbed his backpack and tore outside. Waiting out by the front gates was Steve. When Carter saw his Papa he went running with a huge smile on his face. Steve immediately scooped his youngest son into his arms and hugged him close.

"Hi, Jellybean! How was your first day of school? Did you make any friends?" asked Steve as he carried Carter over to the car.

"I made a friend names Aubrey. She likes frogs and robots." Said Carter.

"She sounds nice. Do you want to tell me more about your day or do you want to wait till Dad's there." Asked Steve

"Wait for Daddy." Answered Carter.

The rest of the car ride back to the compound, Carter was unnaturally quiet. Normally Carter would be talking his head off about what he did during the day. But not right now. Carter looked almost sad and it had Steve concerned.

When they got back to the compound Tony was right there in the living room waiting for them. Peter was most likely in his room talking with Shuri about how school was. Carter walked in holding Steve's had as tight as he could, but when he saw Tony he went running.

"Daddy, Papa, some of the kids at school were laughing at me because I have two dads and I don't have a mom. Why don't I have a mom like the other kids." Cried Carter as he flung himself into his Dad's arms. "And they laughed at my hearing aid and when I told them to stop they didn't. And this one kid named Dexter Hammer kept making fun of you Daddy and he wasn't nice to me at all."

Carter was crying as he and his parents sat down on the couch. Well, this didn't sound too good. Carter had been so excited to go to school for the first time and now he was upset. Tony and Steve just held Carter there between them until he calmed down enough to talk.

"Carter, Bambino, are you ready to talk now?" asked Tony. Carter nodded. "Let's start with the first questions you asked, alright?"

Tony took in a deep breath before he began talking. This was a subject that he wasn't quite sure how to talk about with Carter. How do you explain to your son that the person who thought was your aunt was technically your mom? How do you explain that the reason your kid was even born was because you wanted a child so badly that you built a machine and had one of your closest friends help you? How do you explain all this to a child?

So Tony started from the top. He explained to Carter a little bit about Afghanistan. He didn't go into to much detail. Carter didn't need to know about the explosions, torture, and all the other horrible shit his Dad had been through. From there he went on to tell Carter about the whole debacle with Justin Hammer. Again Tony left out some details such as his birthday party from hell and the fact that he was dying at the time. Carter liked hearing about the fight between Iron Man, War Machine, and Whiplash though.

After explaining what happened with Justin Hammer and why that kid Dexter might not like him, Carter began to understand a little bit. During the stories, Carter asked tonnes of good questions, and Tony and Steve tried their best to give good answers. It was a bit challenging. They needed to keep the answers child appropriate while also telling the truth.

The last bit was a bit harder. Tony began to explain how Carter came to be. He told his son the truth. He told Carter about reading the scientific article that inspired him on that cold rainy night. He told Carter about Pepper finding him in his lab with the lists he made on whether or not he should become a parent and Pepper offering to help out. He told Carter about building the Womb Room and how he would sing and talk to Carter every day just waiting for him to be born. That then morphed into the story of how Tony and Steve first met. How they fought together against Loki and the Chitauri and soon became friends. He told Carter about how excited he was when he was born that he went and bragged to all the Avengers over a text message and how Pepper was right there ready to help out. By the time he was done, Carter was curled up between Tony and Steve and seemed a whole lot calmer than he did before.

"Does this mean that I have to call Auntie Pepper Mom now?" asked Carter once his Dad finished talking.

"No Carter. Pepper may be your biological mom, but she's still your Auntie Pepper who loves you very much." Replied Tony.

"Ok… Can I play dinosaurs now?" asked Carter.

"Sure thing Bambino. Just make sure you wash up before dinner." And with that Carter ran off to his room to play with his toys.

"Well, that went better than I expected it too." Huffed Tony as he and Steve cuddled up on the couch.

"You're a good dad Anthony. Never let anyone tell you different. I know you'd do anything to keep our boys safe and happy. And I know that both Carter and Peter know that." Smiled Steve as he held Tony close and kissed his fiancés hair.

"I love you, Steven."

"And I love you, Anthony. No matter what happens, remember I love you."

The two stayed on the couch together until Laura called them for dinner. The meal was full of excitement with all the kids telling everyone about their day and all the new things they did. Well, all the kids except Nate who was still too young to go to school. Everyone was full of laughs and Tony and Steve were happy to see the smiles on their kid's faces. And with that, the first day of school was done and over with. Now they could move onto the rest of the school year and all the craziness that was to follow.

MTHS

Now that the kids had settled into a routine of going back to school and homework, the active Avengers of the compound were now being called in to do more public appearances. And by public appearances, they meant a Buzzfeed interview. The Avengers did so many different interviews in a month and most of them were taxing to do. So, when the opportunity came in to do an interview with Buzzfeed, they all but jumped at the opportunity to do something fun for once.

So, that morning, the kids were dropped off at school and the Avengers drove off to the office. When they arrived they were greeted by a lovely man named Shane who lead them all down to the interview room. The room itself was simple. There was a green background and a white table just long enough to sit two people. And that was when they all knew what they would be doing for the interview. The Avengers would be reading thirst tweets. Oh, joy!

They were going to be filmed in pairs with everyone else staying in the room in case they said something funny or stupid about each other. This was going to be great. Tony and Steve were first up to take their seats and do the intro that would begin their descent into madness.

"Hello. We're the Avengers." Spoke Steve with a smirk.

"And today we're reading thirst tweets!" Shouted Tony with way too much enthusiasm. It made everyone else in the room laugh.

And so the madness began. Steve was the first to read off his tweet. He opened up his slip of paper and his face turned bright red.

"If Captain America weren't already in a committed relationship…" Steve took a second to compose himself before he continued. "I would climb that boy like a tree." Everyone was laughing at how red Steve's face was. He looked like a human tomato.

Next up was Tony who read his tweet with the straightest face imaginable.

"Every time I see Tony Stark I'm like "Damn Daddy let me tap that!" Tony looked right at the camera and waved his engagement ring around. "Hate to break it to you guys, but I'm taken." That made Steve smirk and wrap his arm around his shoulder.

Next up in the hot seat were Clint and Natasha.

"I wish Hawkeye would shoot me with cupid's arrow." Read Clint as he glared daggers at his slip of paper. "Does this person think I'm a cherub? I'm not an angel, I'm a trained assassin!" complained Clint as Nat ruffled his hair and spoke to him with her baby voice.

Natasha was next, and everyone held their breath and hoped that she didn't get a sexist tweet. They all let out their breath when Natasha opened her slip and smiled.

"I wish Black Widow would kill me with her thighs. My lesbian ass would die in peace." Natasha smiled and looked at the camera and winked. Everyone else giggled at Natasha's face. It was such an over exaggerated wink and it looked so goofy that they couldn't not laugh.

Next up were Rhodey and Scott. Between the two of them, the team knew there was going to be some witty commentary. Rhodey went first and when he opened his slip Tony just knew he'd have to tease him about it.

"I'd let Colonel Rhodes fill me with his cream filling." Rhodey's eyes widened but he managed to school his expression into one more flirtatious.

"Damn Honey Bear! Gettin' all the ladies! It's like MIT all over again!" quipped Tony from his spot in the corner of the room. Rhodey couldn't help but laugh.

Next was Scott, who was honestly surprised when he read his tweet.

"I wonder if Scott Lang can make his dick shrink and grow like everything else?" Scott just looked up completely perplexed.

"You should try it!" shouted Sam and the team devolved into childish giggles.

Next on the chopping block were Sam and Bucky. For some bizarre reason those two didn't get along 20% of the time and Steve was worried that one of them would act out. Bucky was up first and when he opened his slip, Bucky's head hit the table, and everyone laughed.

"Do I have to read it?" he asked with his voice muffled by the table.

"READ IT!" shouted Clint from behind the camera. Bucky picked his head off the table and began to read as Sam laughed beside him.

"If Tony Stark and Bucky Barnes were to have sex would they be Buck Naked and Stark Nude?" cringed Bucky as everyone else laughed at him. "Common people he's my best friend's fiancé. I'm not touching that!" said Bucky indignantly.

After some good-natured teasing, it was Sam's turn. He opened his slip and instantly brought out the bedroom eyes.

"Legit thinking of changing my name to "Sam Wilsons Bitch" so he finally gets a clue." Sam made a kissy face at the camera and everyone laughed at him. "You can hit me up anytime baby." He flirted with the camera. Bucky fake gagged beside him.

Last but not least came the only other couple on the team, Vision and Wanda. They had become official a few months after the whole accords thing and they couldn't be happier. Wanda went first and like with Natasha, they hoped for a non-sexist tweet.

"Scarlett Witch is my #WCW 5ever!" Wanda smiled and held her hands to her chest. "Aww. This is so sweet. Thank you!" The tweet made the rest of the team smile as well.

The last to go was Vision. And needless to say, he didn't really understand what was going on.

"Can we get some nudes of Vision… for science of course." Vision looked up at the team with questioning eyes. "I'm not familiar with what a "nude" is."

"I'll tell you when your older!" shouted Tony as the others snickered.

After the interview, the Avengers left the building laughing and joking. This was the most fun they'd had together in a long time. They hadn't been able to just do something as a team for a while. They all had responsibilities. Sometimes they had to go on aid missions, and the few that had kids, (or as Clint had dubbed them, the Dadvengers) had the responsibilities that came with that. There where also a few members of the team that struggled with mental illness and the team made taking care of personal health a priority. There was also the aftermath of the whole debacle with Stone and they all had to deal with the fall out from that.

So, having some time to just do something fun together as a team was a highlight for everyone. They ended up going to their favourite shawarma joint together and sharing a few laughs. It was nice, but some of them, the few that were still left from the original team of 6, felt the hole that should be filled by Thor and their still missing friend Bruce.

When they got back home Tony and Steve were met with the traumatized face of Peter.

"What happened Pete? Is everything alright?" asked Tony. Peter's face blanched when he saw his parents.

"We uh…. Uh… We started health class today in gym." Stuttered Peter trying desperately not to look at Steve.

And that's when it dawned on Tony.

"You had to watch the Captain America Sex Ed video, didn't you?" snickered Tony. Peter looked down in shame.

"That's just too funny." Laughed Tony. And boy did he laugh. Tony laughed so hard he ended up on the floor while Peter snuck off to his room. Steve on the other hand, just stood there blushing. Needless to say that dinner was awkward that night.

MTHS

It was now the second week of school and now that things were settling down in the classroom, the kids were starting to get projects. So with that, Tony and Steve weren't really that surprised when Carter came to them asking for help on making a family tree from a history project.

The premise was simple enough. Carter had to make a family tree and write a little bit about each member. Super simple. So, for ease of simplicity, they started with Steve's side of the family. Steve told Carter some stories and brought out a few pictures of his parents, Sarah and Joseph. He told Carter how he never got to meet his father because he died in 1918 in WW1 just before he was born. Steve told Carter about his mother and how she was a nurse and she lived her life helping people. He told Carter about how she died of tuberculosis in 1936 when Steve was 18.

"Daddy what about your parents? I only ever see you with Nana Rhodes and she doesn't look like you she looks like Uncle Rhodey. Are you adopted like Peter is?" asked Peter when Steve was done talking about his family.

"It's a little more complicated than that Bambino." Replied Tony as he set Carter down on the ground. "Why don't you go get your brother, so he can hear the Stark family stories too." Carter nodded and ran off to go get Peter. When both boys returned they plopped down on the floor in front of Tony and Steve and eagerly listened to what their Dad had to say.

"Alright kids, it's Stark Family story time." And with that, Tony jumped into storytelling.

He started with his childhood. He told Peter and Carter about Edwin and Ana Jarvis and how they were the ones to primarily take care of him. He told his kids about his Aunt Peggy and all the fun adventures she would take him on. He told them about his mom, Maria, and how she was so kind and caring and how she would try to protect Tony from everything. Tony left out the parts about the horrendous abuse he suffered at the hands of his father. That would be a story for when the kids were much older.

The story moved on to Tony's days at MIT and meeting Rhodey for the first time because they got assigned to be roommates. He told the kids about a few of the pranks they got up to. Like the time they filled the geology lab with marbles. They never got caught. Again, Tony left out a few things like drunken escapades and the whole thing with Stone. The kids didn't need to hear those things.

"Now Carter, you asked if I was adopted earlier. And you were right, I am. You see, my mom died when I was 17 and your Nana Rhodes helped take care of me and she tried really hard to keep me away from some very bad people. She filled out the same kind of paperwork I had to adopt Peter. So yes, Nana Rhodes is like my mom and Rhodey is my big brother." Spoke Tony as both his sons looked up at him. Once he heard this, It made Peter feel a bit better about the whole being adopted thing.

"What about your dad? What happened to him?" asked Carter with all the innocence of a child who didn't understand the past. Tony let out a huff before he answered the question.

"He died with my mom and it's his fault that it happened. Now he may have been quite famous, but he was a very bad man. He wasn't nice, and he wasn't a very good parent." Spoke Tony as seriously as he could.

"What did he do?" whispered Peter.

"He did a lot of bad things like stealing work from other people, including me. He drank most of the time and he could get violent. I'm not going t tell you guys everything now. Those stories can wait till your older. All you need to know is that he was not a good person."

And with that Tony had to finish his story because dinner was ready. The kids didn't ask any more questions about Howard Stark. Peter already had an idea on what had happened, and he didn't want to bring up bad memories by asking. Carter, on the other hand, was just excited that he had all the information he needed to finish his project.

A few days later, Carter arrived at school with his red poster-board that proudly held his family tree. For as well done as it was, it didn't look like the others in the class. Sure Carter had included his parents, his brother, and his grandparents (both biological and adopted), but he also included his Uncles Rhodey and Bucky as well as all his "siblings". Carter just couldn't bear to leave out DUM-E, U, Butterfingers, JARVIS, and FRIDAY. Carter even put his "nephew" Vision on the project. Mrs. Anderson ended up having to call his parents because the project was so different. Tony had to explain to her that in their house, sentient AI's count as family.

Even with his teacher and class treating Carter's project as a bit of a joke, the rest of the Avengers thought that it was amazing when he showed it to the over dinner at the end of the week. It was one of those rare days when Thor was visiting them, and they wanted to make the most of it. And, considering what was coming up, some of them wanted Thor to stay at the compound for a few weeks.

"Hey Thor, can Steve and I talk to you for a minute?" asked Tony after the kids had gone to bed and it was just the adults sitting in the living room.

"Of course my friends. Whatever you need." Replied Thor as he sat down near his friends.

"Do you think you might be able to stick around here for a few weeks?" asked Steve once they got comfortable.

"For what reason?"

"Well… Tony and I are getting married in October and we'd like it if you were at our wedding." Spoke Steve as he held Tony's left hand and fiddled with the ring on his fiancé's finger.

"You're getting married! This is joyous news!" shouted Thor as he scooped both of them up into a crushing hug. "Of course I'll be there to celebrate your union!"

That night Thor forced them to celebrate. Well, they weren't really forced. Nobody complained because it gave them an excuse to celebrate something. Things at the compound had been getting too quiet lately.

MTHS

It was a week and a half before the wedding when things slowly began to go wrong. Tony and Steve were curled up together in bed when Steve was woken up by the sound of terrified screaming.

To the sound of Tony screaming.

"Tony! Tony Darlin'! Wake up! It's just a dream! Anthony! Wake up!" called Steve as Tony continued to scream and thrash in the bed. It was times like this that they were glad their all the rooms were soundproof.

"Tony you need to wake up Love." Spoke Steve softly as he placed his hand over Tony's heart, being careful not to touch the arc reactor.

Tony jolted awake with a shout and began breathing quite heavily. There was a very slight orange glow to Tony's eyes but neither seemed to notice as it was drowned out by the light of the arc reactor. Steve was right there, his hand still over Tony's heart and his voice whispering soft reassurances. It took Tony a while to calm down enough to talk. In that time he found himself curled up in Steve's arms, one of the few places he felt truly safe.

"Wanna talk about it?" asked Steve once Tony had calmed down. Tony curled himself closer to Steve before he began.

"It was that purple one again. Everything was so loud… and empty. I hate that voice… I just want it to stop." Whispered Tony. Steve tightened his grip on Tony and kissed his forehead.

"What did it say this time?"

"I hope they remember you." Croaked Tony.

Steve just held Tony in his arms and offered whatever comfort he could give. Eventually, they laid down again. Steve had Tony's head resting on his chest in the hope that his heartbeat would help calm him down. They just laid there in the dark, clutching at each other. They stayed like that for a while, until Tony broke the silence.

"Somethings wrong. Something big is coming. I can feel it, Steve. I can feel it in my soul."

"Than we'll prepare. We'll fight together and train together. You're not alone Tones. You're not alone."

* * *

Well, what did you think? I personally thought that this chapter had a good mix of funny and serious. I'm so proud of some of the jokes I've made in this one. Now, I'm not going to say much about the next chapter. All I will say is that I've been waiting to write it for so long and I can promise you that it'll be a good one. Until next time -Shadows.


	25. You are my everything

Not much to say here about this chapter. I already know you'll enjoy it. I'm sorry it took a bit longer. I wanted it to be perfect, but I think I did alright. Also, this one may be just a little bit dialogue heavy. You'll see why soon enough. Well, let's get on with the show!

* * *

The date was October 8th, 2017, and Tony Stark was nervous as hell. Today was the day that Tony Stark was going to marry Steve Rogers. And Tony was nervous.

Looking back on the last few years, Tony really didn't have a reason to be. Steve had been nothing but an angel from the moment he moved into the tower a few months after the Battle of New York. He was there to take help care for Carter when he was a baby. He was there for Tony when he had nightmares, or when the arc reactor hurt too much. Steve was always there. Steve was the one who made the first move that started their relationship. And it was a bit of a bold move. When Steve kissed Tony after the fight with Killian and told Tony he was an ass for almost dying, Tony knew he could never let the other man go. From that point onward, Steve and Tony had been committed to each other 100%. It made Tony think back to a conversation they had had a few weeks ago while they were getting their wedding paperwork in order for Pepper.

The two lovebirds had been sitting at the kitchen table getting all the paperwork done while the kids were at school. The sun was out, and it was nice and warm in the room. They mostly worked in silence, just enjoying each others company while they finished up all the work Pepper had sent. They had been trading a few jokes, so Tony wasn't all that surprised when Steve spoke up.

"You know what Tones, I've been thinking." Stated Steve as he reached over and took Tony's left hand in his idly fiddling with the engagement ring adorning his fiancé's finger.

"You know I love it when you think baby." Purred Tony.

"I want to take your last name." Well… that caught Tony off guard.

"What!?" was all Tony could say. He wasn't too sure if he had heard him correctly.

"I want to take your last name," repeated Steve. "I don't want you to take mine. I don't want to hyphenate. I want to take yours. You and the kids all share a last name. I think it's time I do too."

Tony really didn't know what to say, and that was a rare thing. Normally Tony would have something witty or smart to add. But not then. No, Tony Stark didn't have the words to tell Steve how much that meant to him, so he settled with actions. Tony launched himself into Steve's arms and kissed the man within an inch of his life. They ended up having to finish the rest of the paperwork later that night.

So yes, there was very clear evidence that Steve loved Tony. That he cherished Tony and the little family they had made. When Tony was having one of his more off days, when even his ESA Curie wasn't helping, Steve was always there to lend an ear and to give comfort. And Tony was always there for Steve when he was having one of his bad days. They worked together like two gears in a machine.

But even with all the evidence that Steve loved him and would never leave him, it didn't stop Tony's crippling self-doubt from clouding his thoughts. When you're told from a young age that you're unworthy of love, it takes a while to start believing the opposite.

So, that was what lead Tony to currently be pacing the room he was in while half dressed in his suit. He was only wearing his black pants and a white dress shirt. Everything else was on the bed. They still had an hour before the actual wedding, so Tony was in no rush to dirty up his suit. He was sweating and nervous and really didn't want to get his suit all sweaty and embarrass himself so bad that Steve would leave him all alone to raise two kids.

"Dad! He's not going to just leave you to take care of two kids by yourself! Stop thinking that! Everything's going to be fine. I already had this talk with Papa. Please stop freaking out or I'll get Nana to deal with you!" shouted Peter as he shook Tony's shoulders. Oops, had he said that last bit out loud?

"Ok. Yeah. Don't need your Nana yelling at me." Commented Tony.

"Daddy, please stop being scared." Said Carter. The kid was cool as a cucumber. "I'm going to go get Uncle Rhodey." And with that Carter ran off down the hall to grab the man in question. Peter continued to be exasperated with his Dad.

"Tony! Cut it out right now!" shouted Rhodey as he entered the room and closed the door. He walked over and held Tony in front of him. It was the first good look Tony had gotten of his brother all day. Rhodey was all dressed up in his formal military regalia, medals of honour included. He looked so put together, while Tony looked the opposite.

"Listen here Tones. Steve is not going to leave you. He is madly in love with you. Now, you are going to finish getting dressed. You are going to walk down that aisle. You are going to make Steven cry tears of joy, and you are going to get married. What you do after during your honeymoon is up to you. Just don't do anything too annoying because I'm the one watching your crazy kids while you're away. You hear me?" asked Rhodey. Tony just nodded and allowed Rhodey and Peter to help fix him up while Carter played on Tony's phone.

By the time they were done, Tony looked amazing. Rhodey, probably by using witchcraft, had managed to wrangle Tony's curly hair into some semblance of order. Peter had helped him pin the red boutonniere to Tony's black suit jacket. Underneath the jacket was a dark tan vest and matching tie. Sitting visibly on top of everything were the dog-tags that Steve had given Tony all those years ago. Tony very rarely took them off.

Once Tony was all dressed and good to go, it was time to finish getting the kids ready. Both boys were dressed in matching black tuxedos with red vests underneath. Tony just had to take a few candid pictures of his kids. They just looked so cute.

Soon it was time to get the show on the road. Rhodey, Tony, and the boys took their time walking down the hall to the ballroom where the ceremony would be held. Tony and Steve had decided to have the whole wedding at the compound. It was just safer that way. They wouldn't have to worry about reporters or anti-LGBT protesters there. Still, they did leak a fake wedding date.

"You ready Tony?" asked Rhodey as they approached the doors.

Tony just cracked a small smile, trying not to let his nervousness show.

"Let's go get married."

MTHS

Steve was already waiting patiently at the altar while Tony and the boys were waiting just outside the room. He was fidgeting a bit out of nervousness. To keep occupied, Steve took the opportunity to take a good look around the room he was about to be married in.

The entire room was done up in fall colours. The reds and golds were part of the reason why they had chosen a fall wedding. It just seemed to fit them so well. There were absolutely beautiful flower and silk arrangements that lined the aisle that Laura had done up for them. The altar itself had a stunning flower arch done up in rows of burgundy carnations and dark blue forget-me-nots.

Steve continued to look around the room as he took in those in attendance. It was not going to be a large Italian wedding like Maria Stark would have wanted by any means. In fact, it was quite small. The Avengers were there, of course. So were their kids. All three Barton kids and little Cassie Lang were there dressed up all nice at their parent's insistence. Also in attendance were Jim and Maggie Paxton, Scott's ex-wife and her husband. They had become good friends over the time Scott had become a member of the team. Sitting near them was Hope Van-Dyne. Tony had to invite his childhood friend and fellow superhero. Thor had stayed for the wedding just as he'd promised. He had brought along Jane and Darcey. They had managed to get a hold of Nick Fury and Maria Hill, who were enthusiastic to attend. That was after Fury got over the whole shock of the situation. He just couldn't believe that Tony was finally getting married. Pepper Potts and Happy Hogan were right up there at the front. They had known Tony for such a long time and supported him that they deserved that place of honour. Also right in the front row was Mama Rhodes. She had helped Tony though some of the worst times of his life. In Steve's mind, she had earned her spot right up front 100 times over. Right off to the side were DUM-E, U, and Butterfingers. Both Tony and Steve agreed that the bots had to be there. They were family too.

Steve looked at those closest to him. Bucky was standing there beside him. He was Steve's best man. Nobody contested that. The two had been through hell and back to get to this moment. They were just upholding an old promise. Back when they were kids, Bucky and Steve promised each other that they would be the best man at each other's weddings. And when Steve makes a promise he holds to it. Sam was also up there at the altar. He would be officiating the whole thing. When Tony and Steve had been discussing who would marry them, Sam had overheard and had gotten himself ordained before telling his two friends that he would marry them. Everyone found the situation both funny and sweet. Sam and Bucky were also dressed in their old military uniforms.

Things were just about to begin, and Steve took that opportunity to take stock of his appearance. He too was wearing his old military uniform with all his medals pinned on straight. His hair was neatly combed and the beard he'd been growing since February was neatly trimmed. Tony loved his beard, so Steve decided to keep it. It made him look more distinguished and wiser. Steve hadn't been self-conscious of his body in a long time, but now he couldn't help feeling a little out of it. Steve just hoped that Tony would like how he looked on their special day.

The music started, and the doors opened. First to enter and walk down the aisle was Rhodey… carrying a basket of rose petals. Yes, Rhodey was their flower boy. Clint had suggested it as a joke and it just kind of stuck. It was just too funny. When Rhodey agreed to do it, it just made everything better. It also solved the problem of Cassie and Lila fighting over who got to be the flower girl.

Once Rhodey had reached the altar, it was time for Tony and the boys. They had decided that the boys would be walking Tony down the aisle. Mama Rhodes just wasn't mobile enough. So, they decided to let the kids do it. After all, this day was about them becoming one big family.

So, Tony and the kids began to walk down the aisle. Carter was perched on Tony's hip and Peter had his arm wrapped around Tony's like he was escorting his father. When Steve first laid his eye on Tony, he cried. Tony just looked so stunning. There was a shy smile on his face and he was just glowing. Steve couldn't take his eyes off him. Tears were running down both their faces, but their smiles gave away all they were feeling.

When Tony got to the altar, both kids gave him a hug. Steve ruffled Peter's hair and gave Carter a little kiss on the head before Tony set him down and the boys went to go stand by Rhodey and Bucky. That was when Steve took Tony's hands in his and got a good look at his soon to be husband. There was just so much love flowing between the two of them. Neither could take their eyes off of the other. Steve smiled and whispered, "I love you" and Sam took that as his cue to begin.

"Dearly beloved." Announced Sam, "We are gathered here today to rejoice in the union between our two friends, Tony and Steve. Two amazing people who have saved our asses many times over." A chuckle passed through the room. "Today is a day to celebrate love. It's a day to celebrate becoming a family and all the amazing things that come with that. Now, Tony and Steve have written their own vows. Steve, if you will." Sam gestured at Steve to begin. Steve nodded but never took his eyes off Tony.

"I believe everything happens for a reason. Everything from me lying on my enlistment papers to crashing that plane into the ocean. That all lead me to you, Tony. I felt so lost when I woke up in this new century, and you did everything you could to make me feel welcome. Even after our frankly disastrous first meeting you put your trust in me and fought to keep us all safe. You gave me a home and a family. Things I'd never thought I'd get to have. You and our kids make life worth living. I love you so much Anthony, that I can't even begin to put it all into words. No matter what happens, remember I love you." Steve's voice cracked and hitched the entire time he was saying his vows. He tried to pour meaning into every word as he smiled at Tony and held his hands tighter.

Tony was next, and after getting a nod from Sam, he began.

"If you had told me back 10 years ago that I would be marrying Captain America and that I would have two amazing kids, I would have told you, you were crazy, and I probably would have gone off to get a drink. Looking back at everything that's happened over the past 10 years, I wouldn't change a thing. Because every step lead me here. I have friends and an amazing family. And through all the hardships, I had you, Steve. And…" Tony's breath hitched, and he desperately tried to blink back tears. "Man, I promised myself I wouldn't cry and here I am crying." There was a snicker that went through the room, but Tony just smiled. "And Steven, You gave me your heart even though I can be tough to deal with and sometimes a bit of an ass. Steven, you forever have me, body, heart, and soul. No matter what happens, remember I love you." Both men were smiling and crying and everything was just so beautiful.

"Alright, the rings please." Said Sam. Rhodey and Bucky passed the rings to Tony and Steve. The rings themselves were beautiful. Tony had forged them himself using a gold-titanium alloy for the base with a Yinsinium stripe in the middle. Peter even helped make them and that just made the rings that much more special.

"Alright, Steve please repeat after me." Steve nodded and looked Tony in his big brown eyes.

"I, Steven Grant Rogers."

"I, Steven Grant Rogers."

"Take thee, Anthony Edward Stark."

"Take thee, Anthony Edward Stark." Steve's voice was beginning to crack with emotion.

"As my lawfully wedded husband."

"As my lawfully wedded husband." Steve choked on the word husband. It was finally happening. He was getting married.

"To have and to hold. In sickness and health. For rich or for poor. In times of peace and in alien invasions."

"To have and to hold. In sickness and health. For rich or for poor. In times of peace and in alien invasions." Steve couldn't help but chuckle at that last line. They all had a great sense of humour.

"With this ring, I wed thee."

"With this ring, I wed thee." And with that, Steve slid the ring onto Tony's left hand. They were just one more step closer to being officially married, and Steve was over the moon with excitement.

"Alright, Tony, repeat after me. I, Anthony Edward Stark."

"I, Anthony Edward Stark." Tony was still trying really hard not to start bawling.

"Take thee, Steven Grant Rogers."

"Take thee, Steven Grant Rogers." Brown eyes met blue and the tears flowed freely.

"As my lawfully wedded husband."

"As my lawfully wedded husband."

"To have and to hold. In sickness and health. For rich or for poor. In times of peace and in alien invasions."

"To have and to hold. In sickness and health. For rich or for poor. In times of peace and in alien invasions." When Tony spoke these words, he really meant it. They'd been through a lot together and come out the other end stronger than before.

"With this ring, I wed thee."

"With this ring…" Tony's voice cracked, "I wed thee." Tony slid the matching ring onto Steve's left hand. Both men were smiling like loons and only had eyes for each other. Tony and Steve weren't the only ones with misty eyes. There wasn't a dry eye in the house.

"By the power vested in me by the State of New York, I now pronounce you Husband and Husband. You may now kiss!" announced Sam.

The room applauded and there were a few catcalls as Tony grabbed Steve's lapels and Steve's hands found their way to Tony back as they sealed their marriage with a kiss. It was single-handedly the best kiss that they had ever shared. It was both sweet and tender and full of passion. They poured every ounce of love they could into the kiss. It was perfect.

"You still taste like coconut and metal." Smiled Steve once they pulled apart. There were still tears in both their eyes and goofy smiles on both their faces. Steve rested his forehead on Tony's and gave him another peck on the lips.

They were no longer Tony Stark and Steve Rogers, the famous playboy and the man out of time. They were Anthony and Steven Stark, Avengers and family, and they couldn't be happier. Carter and Peter joined their parents in a group hug. They were all together now. Nothing could tear them apart.

Everyone came to congratulate the couple as they made their way outside to take pictures. There where a lot of pictures of just Tony and Steve. It was their wedding after all. They took some with their kids. Carter and Peter were smiling and giggling the whole time. There were some with Tony, Rhodey, and Mama Rhodes as a family. Steve and Bucky got some photos together. Some nice ones that weren't taken during a world war. They took a bunch with all the Avengers. With everyone all dressed up, it was the teams only formal photo. They got some candid photographs of all the kids playing in the grass with the dog. The whole time, Tony and Steve were smiling and whispering endearments to each other. They were so ridiculously sweet, and Clint made some fake gagging sounds at how cute they were.

The reception hall at the compound was done up beautifully. It held the same fall motif that the wedding hall did. There where beautiful leave and flowers covering the walls and tables. The tables themselves were lined in white linen with red and blue stitching at the bottom. Once everyone was seated at their tables, it was time to begin the reception.

They had a wonderful sit-down dinner with a wide variety of food. It was just part of the perks if getting married as a billionaire. Everyone was laughing and joking and just generally having a good time. Even Nick Fury was joking around with the kids, telling them stories of when he was a young agent. The kids loved his stories and it gave the adults time to share their own jokes and stories.

After dinner, Rhodey and Bucky gave their best man speeches. Both took it upon themselves to tell stories of all the stupid things Tony and Steve had gotten up to when they were younger. It was all in good fun and the speeches were full of love. Even so, they made the room laugh.

It was soon time for the first dance. Tony and Steve had a bit of a hard time choosing the song. Between the two of them, none of their favourite pieces of music were really "first dance as a married couple" material. It was Peter who came to the rescue. Peter tended to listen to more indie music and had just the perfect song. It was a cover done by Sleeping at Last of the song Everywhere I go. It just fit perfectly with Tony and Steve's relationship.

So, when the beautiful piano notes started, Steve lead Tony out onto the dance floor. Steve had his arms wrapped around Tony's hips while Tony rested his rams on Steve's shoulder. They swayed together to the music and sometimes moved around the room, never letting go of each other. There where many whispers of "I love you", as Tony ended up laying his head on Steve's chest. Steve, in response, rested his head on top of Tony's. For the entire dance, they were in their own little world.

Soon after everyone else joined in on the dancing. It really helped having FRIDAY act as their DJ. Tony and Steve danced with their kids. Mama Rhodes even got up to dance with her boys. Everyone was smiling and laughing. The air was light with love and everything was amazing.

Towards the end of the night, it was time to cut the cake. Well, there wasn't really a cake to cut. Tony and Steve had opted to go with little red, gold, and blue cupcakes because in Tony's words, "Their just so cute Steven. We need to have little cupcakes!". There was also a wicked dessert table filled with all sorts of chocolates and candies. The kids went nuts.

Around 10:00 it was time for Steve and Tony to take their leave. They were taking one of the spare quinjets to Tony's private island for their honeymoon. They were taking the quinjet because that thing would get them there in a good half hour and would allow them more time for some *other* activities. They were looking forward to some much-needed alone time.

"Alright you two, you promise to behave for your Uncle Rhodey and your Nana, alright." Said, Steve, as he hugged his kids' goodbye.

"We promise." Chorused both kids.

"Now, we're only going to be gone for a week so try not to get into too much trouble." Said, Tony, as he made sure Rhodey had everything he needed to know to care for the kids.

"We'll only call you if the world decides to end." Smiled Rhodey as he gave Tony and Steve a hug.

Soon after the newlywed couple were walking towards the jet with a few bags of beach clothes. Another reason they chose to ride in the quinjet was so that FRIDAY could take over the controls, so they could *relax*.

"Well, shall we depart Mr. Stark?" asked Steve with a smirk once they boarded the jet.

"I think we shall, Mr. Stark." Smiled Tony as he shared another kiss with his husband.

His husband.

Just the sound of that was music to Tony's ears. He was married to the love of his life and couldn't be happier.

* * *

I really hope you all liked this chapter. It was super fun to write. I really wanted to get it done sooner but I had a bit of a stint in the emergency room. Don't worry, I'm getting everything sorted out. Writing this story and the few others on my page are like, one of the few things that keep me sane nowadays. On that note, keep your eyes open for the NSFW ending to this chapter that should be up in a few days. We are also now officially in the big lead up to IW. There are two more regular chapters before IW starts. Keep a close eye on my endnotes because they'll give you clues on what details you should be paying attention to. I can't wait for you all to read what I've planned out. Until next time -Shadows.


	26. Tell us a Story

Yay! A new chapter! And with that, a disclaimer warning. This chapter has some graphic descriptions of war. No, this isn't the Infinity War chapter. Although, that one is coming very soon. No, this chapter is more actual war than fake war. I hope you've all seen Captain America: The First Avenger. It's just a bit important. Also, this is our first good look into how war affects different members of the team. This will be important later. Also, I'm taking a few creative liberties in this chapter. The movie only showed us so much and I felt the need to add in stuff. As well, you can probably guess, but this is going to be a dialogue-heavy chapter. Think of it as a TED Talk but in a bit of a script format. Yay learning! Well, enjoy the chapter. I'll see you at the end.

* * *

A few weeks after Tony and Steve's wedding and life at the compound had fallen back into a routine. Although the newlyweds had enjoyed their honeymoon, they were glad to be back home with their kids. Carter and Peter were doing well in school and always had some story to tell about their day. Peter had gotten really good at balancing school and being Spider-Man. Peter would go out after school for a few hours and would report back in when it was time to head back to the compound. It worked out well for everybody.

Because life at the compound had gotten back into its usual routine, trouble had started brewing. Not anything world ending. No! Not that! It was more everyone had a subscription to "Prank War Insanity Weekly" that they couldn't unsubscribe from. Back at the tower, the perpetrators of insanity had normally been Tony and Clint. Now at the compound, you couldn't go more than a week without Tony, Rhodey, Clint, or Scott getting into some kind of trouble.

For example, during the first week of November Tony and Scott were working on a new electrical relay that would allow Tony's Nanotechnology to flow more smoothly. They wanted to fine tune it a bit more before they ran it by Shuri. She was the expert on NanoTech after all. So, while Tony and Scott were working on the relay, they decided to see who could do the most connective synapses in a row the fastest.

The result; a small explosion and a few electrical burns.

Steve and Hope, who had moved into the compound to work closer with Scott and to do more training as The Wasp, were extremely exasperated with their boys as they helped tend to their wounds.

"God Tony, you're an idiot." Huffed Steve as he ran a hand down his face.

"Yes, but I'm your idiot," Tony waved his wedding ring in front of Steve's face. "forever!"

So, with the insanity at the compound at normal levels and both kids in school, Tony actually had time to finish all the work Pepper had left for him to do. The new Stark Phone had an update, a slightly different version of the arc reactor was ready for testing in rural areas, and he'd finished repairs to the mark 49 suit. So, Tony was a little bored. But, he took that in stride and actually did something constructive with his time.

Because Carter had been excelling in school and was complaining about not being challenged, Tony decided that it was finally time Carter got to do stuff in the lab. He would be heavily supervised of course. Tony didn't want Carter to get hurt in the lab as he had as a kid. So, Tony spent his time drawing up lesson plans for lab work for both Peter and Carter.

So, with that in mind, Tony got to spend his days inventing, training or working of lesson plans for the kids. Sometimes he was joined by Steve who would work on his art or draw up new training plans for the team. Tony had been pushing for more training. He knew something big was coming and he wanted to be prepared.

One afternoon, both Tony and Steve were curled up together in their room. Tony was drawing up specs for a new suit and Steve was doing… something.

"Whatcha workin' on Stevie?" asked Tony as he looked up from his tablet. Steve was sitting there working on something with his tablet. It looked a lot like old war pictures and videos of the Howling Commandos.

"Peter's school asked me to come in and give a presentation on my involvement in World War 2 and the defeat of Red Skull. They asked Bucky too, but he said he wasn't comfortable talking about it in front of so many people. So, he gave me his answers to the questions I asked him and I'm just working them into my presentation." Answered Steve not looking up from his work.

Well, that explained why Steve had been bugging Bucky earlier.

"Want some help."

"Sure."

From there the two worked together to create the presentation and finish off the script that Steve would be using. They were going to run the presentation by Peter one he got home from patrol.

MTHS

The day of Steve's presentation had arrived, and he was feeling a little nervous. Sure, Steve had been on countless talk shows and done plenty of talks and interviews, but never about the war. It was always strictly about Captain America and being an Avenger. This was something bigger. This was something more personal. But, if it helped the next generation learn something important and help others, Steve was all for it.

Peter and Cooper were Steve's test subjects for his lecture and presentation. So far, it was well received. Although, because Peter had already seen the presentation, he was going to help out with showing artifacts during the actual presentation. It was a good way to help Peter earn some coolness points with his class after they'd embarrassed Peter on his last field trip to SI. Sam was also coming along to help run tech. He was also there for emotional support.

So, after kissing Tony goodbye before he left, Steve made his way over to Peter's school with Sam in tow. When they arrived, they signed in at the school's office and were lead to the school's auditorium. There they met up with Peter and the three got to setting everything up. Peter got a table set up with some of the artifacts Steve had brought. Those included things like his shield, old helmet and uniform (that he stole from the Smithsonian), and some 100% dead bombshells. Not too long after, students began filing in. The students talked amongst themselves before the lights dimmed and Steve could begin.

"Hi there. I'm Captain Steven Stark. You might know me better as Captain America or "that guy who does those really annoying PSA videos". Trust me, I hate them too" The student's laughed as Steve began.

"I've brought along one of my fellow Avengers and veteran, Sam Wilson because, despite being married to a technological genius, I have yet to master such things like a projector." The auditorium laughed, and Steve took this as a sign that he was doing well.

"Today, I'm not here to talk to you all about physical fitness or healthy eating. No, I'm here to talk to you all about the Second World War and the fights against HYDRA which we still deal with today. I wanted to cover as many events as possible, so the accounts of some events have been a bit edited down for time. That doesn't mean they weren't important. Now, I want to give a little bit of a warning to you all before we start. You're here because your parents or guardians signed a permission form that said you could be here. This presentation today will contain sensitive material. I'm not going to sugar coat it. War is not pretty or exciting like it's portrayed in video games. This was a serious fight, and even I didn't quite know what I was getting into when I joined the army." Spoke Steve as the room went dead silent. If Captain America was saying this was serious, then it probably was.

"Alright then, let's get started." Steve clapped his hands together and Sam turned to the first slide. "So this is me." The slide clicked to a picture of Steve before Project Rebirth when he was all small and skinny. "I grew up in Brooklyn New York with my best friend Bucky Barnes." The next few slides were a few childhood pictures. "Growing up wasn't easy. I grew up in a poor neighbourhood during the Great Depression. My father died in the First World War before I was born. My mother died of tuberculosis when I was 18. I ended up going to art school with the little bit on money she left me. Growing up wasn't easy. I was sick all the time. I had asthma, frequent sinusitis, heart problems, I was sick all the time with various other things. Bucky was the main breadwinner in the house once we grew up. He would work down on the docks while it tried to find work for the paper as an artist." The next slide was a picture of some of Steve's early artwork.

"Now, while I was working at the paper, some very interesting news was being printed. In 1939, Britain had declared war on Nazi Germany. Now, as you should all know, The USA didn't join the war until December of 1941 with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour. In the time before we joined the war, were more neutral and supplied weapons to the allies." A few pictures from the attack were on the screen. The students were silent.

"Now, my story begins mid-1942. My best friend Bucky had just been drafted and I was doing everything possible to go join him on the western front. I was ready to do anything. And when I say anything I mean anything. Even if it was illegal. So, because of my poor health, I lied on my enlistment papers. 4 times." The slide clicked to some pictures of his enlistment papers taken from the Smithsonian.

"The night before Bucky got deployed, I got lucky. There were officers at this science expo looking for new recruits. Once again, I lied on my paper. But this time, I got caught. I got caught by a man named Dr. Abraham Erskine. I thought he was going to report me. He didn't. He asked me why I wanted to fight. I said that I didn't like bullies. And Hitler was a pretty big bully. So, Dr. Erskine accepted my answer and I was soon shipped off to basic training where I met Agent Margret Carter of the SSR. With her encouragement and a hefty amount of spite, I made it through basic and was chosen for Project Rebirth." The next few slides that Sam brought up were pictures taken during the project as well as a before and after photo of Steve. Some of the more disruptive kids snickered.

"After the project was complete was my first encounter with HYDRA. The killed Dr. Erskine to get the Super Soldier Serum and I went after them. That didn't change the fact that Erskine was dead, and I was the only person who had the serum. So, I had two choices in front of me. I could become a lab rat and help scientist recreate the serum, or I could tour around and help the army by selling war bonds. Not wanting to become more of a science experiment, I chose to become the government's dancing monkey. Now, this is the only part of the presentation where I'm saying it's okay to laugh freely. Even I felt ridiculous doing these shows."

The slideshow clicked to a few video files. On those files were a few tapes from Steve's old USO shows. The stupidity of them did not age well and Steve looked even stupider then he did back in 1942. The kids laughed when Steve had to stage punch the poor soul that got hired to play Hitler. It was really the only light-hearted part of this whole presentation. When the videos were done, Steve started back up again.

"I actually wanted to become an actor until I started doing USO shows. That dream went out the window pretty quick. Now it was in the spring of 1943 when everything changed. I was performing a show for what was left of the 107th. That was my friend Bucky's battalion. I had just finished the show when I learned what had happened. Others may say something different, but to me, this was the moment when I truly became Captain America."

"After finding out that Bucky had been taken prisoner in Azzano, I snuck out with the help of Peggy Carter and Howard Stark and stormed the HYDRA base by cover of night. I was able to rescue Bucky and the rest of the 107th. There, was the time I had an encounter with the Red Skull, the leader of HYDRA." A few historical photos of Red Skull were on screen.

"From there I became an actual Captain in the army. I was given a new uniform and was presented with my shield. From there I joined up with select members of the 107th forming the Howling Commandos. Over the next year, we were sent on mission after mission taking out HYDRA bases on Italy, Austria, Germany, and Russia. We were good. We were incredibly good. So good that we were on pretty much every Nazi radar there was. Even so, we did our job and took down every HYDRA agent we came across. We did that until late May of 1944. We were called back because the Allied Forces were launching a full-scale attack on the beaches of Normandy." From there Steve showed off a few pictures and interviews from D-Day of superior officers as well as a testimonial from Bucky that had survived the test of time.

"Under normal circumstances, my troop wouldn't have been recalled to such an unsure and bloody conflict. The reason we were called in was because HYDRA didn't take the lie fed to them by German intelligence. The Germans thought that the Allies were going to attack at Le Pas de Calais. In reality, we were going to attack Normandy. Now, HYDRA was smart and didn't believe the lies that the rest of the Nazi army believed. They believed that the Normandy attack was going to be the big one, so they stationed their agents there. Because we had gathered that Intel, the SSR decided to send us to join the assault on Omaha Beach."

"Your history teacher will probably be the one to tell you all about the logistics and politics involved, but I'm going to tell you first hand about what I was." Steve took a deep breath and started" The first thing I remember was how high the waves were and how dark the sky was. I remember seeing how the first wave of men was cut down by Nazi artillery. I remember being absolutely terrified, not for my own life, but for the lives of my friends. I remember when we landed on the beach running out with nothing but my shield protecting me from the gunfire. I remember the beach being covered in the bodies of fellow soldiers. I still have nightmares about it."

"Now, the job of the Commandos was to rush ahead and take out the HYDRA agents before they could use their advanced weapons on the regular soldiers. We succeeded with minimal loss. Two of our fellow Commandos were killed in action that day. 8 were injured. Bucky and I were fortunate enough to come out of the fight with minor bruises. This still wasn't the worst day form me while at war." Steve took a deep breath and squashed down the rest of his emotions, so he could continue.

"My worst day came in the winter of 1945. I know now that this was close to the end of the war on the western front, but at the time, all we knew was that HYDRA was still active and needed to be taken down. We were going to board and infiltrate a HYDRA cargo train. Things went wrong and Bucky ended up falling out of the train and into the ravine below. We all thought he was dead. Obviously, he's not. I'm sure everyone here knows about the Winter Soldier and what happened. But back then, we all thought he was dead."

"I carried Bucky's death on my shoulders for a long time. I tried to get drunk to deal with it. Turns out that with the serum, I can't get drunk. So, it took my anger out on HYDRA. We had located their main base of operations and it was time to take out Red Skull. I remember being filled with this unbelievable rage. These people killed my brother, they've hurt innocent people. They had to pay. So, with the help of the SSR, we infiltrated the base and started taking out agents. I then made my way onto Red Skulls plane and, after a fight to the death, I was able to take down Red Skull. But that wasn't the end of the story. The plane was full of live explosives. I had to put in down or there would have been disaster." Steve looked down at the ground and fiddled with his wedding ring before he started talking again.

"I didn't expect to live through the crash. I fully expected to die and to be with Bucky again. When I crashed that plane into the Arctic, I never expected to wake up again almost 70 years in the future with everything I knew left behind in the past. None of it was easy. People often wonder how I coped with all the technological advancements of the future. They ask if I was scared and confused. I always tell those people that I was there watching the creation of new scientific inventions. The new tech here in the future wasn't a shock at all. The fact that I woke up in a time where I knew nobody and was all alone, the fact that I had intended to die when the plane crashed, that was that did me in. I woke up and they said that we won. They never told me what we lost."

"As the story goes from here, I met the Avengers, saved New York, fell in love, and got married. I still deal with all the emotional repercussions of the war on a daily basis. You'd think that after 70 years of being frozen I'd have a good cold tolerance, but I can't stand it. I still get nightmares and some days are just harder than others. Everyone takes it day by day. We discovered that HYDRA was still very much active. We still fight them, because fascist and right-wing ideology has no place in this world. We're coming up on a year this February since we took down our last HYDRA cell. They were a particularly nasty cell and the Avengers did take a hit, but we made it out. We know there are still HYDRA cells out there and we're doing everything we can to find them." Steve let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He was finally done with his presentation. He now understood why Bucky had declined coming. He was emotionally exhausted.

"If there's one thing I want you all to take away from this, is that war has far-reaching effects. A fight that was started in 1939 is still being fought today. So be kind to each other. Work together. Embrace our differences. Stand up for the rights and freedoms of others. If we all work together, we can make the world a better place. You don't need to be a superhero to change a life. Alright, any questions?"

Steve spent the rest of the time answering the student's questions and showing off artifacts. The whole time he was trying to keep his emotions in check. He was definitely stealing Tony away for cuddles once they got back home. Sam ended up driving them all back to the compound after Steve signed Peter out of school. Peter rambled on about how his morning went and how he and Ned had caused a small explosion that morning in chemistry. The mundane talk helped Steve calm down until he got back to his husband.

The second they got back to the compound, Steve dragged Tony out of his lab for cuddles. He didn't protest and just hunkered down on the couch with Steve wrapped around him like a beefy octopus.

"You wanna talk about it?" asked Tony. Steve just shook his head and snuggled further into his husband's chest. They spent the rest of the evening cuddled together and watching their kids play around and do their homework. Just being held and safe made Steve feel better. The two ended up falling asleep cuddled as close together as possible when the finally made it to their bedroom.

MTHS

"Tony! Tony, Darlin', wake up! Come on sweetheart, I need you to wake up!" prodded Steve as he tried to wake Tony up. The man was thrashing and screaming in his sleep. Steve was happy that the walls were sound proof or else he was sure that Tony would have woken up the entire compound.

Tony woke up with a jolt. He sat up and had his hands clutching his arc reactor protectively. Steve ran his hands up and down Tony's back and whispered reassurances in the hope that he could soothe his distraught husband.

"These nightmares are getting worse, aren't they?" whispered Steve once Tony had calmed his breathing down to an acceptable level. Tony just nodded and leaned his head on Steve's chest.

"What happened this time?"

"There was only purple and pain. The whole time it felt like someone was trying to rip something out of my chest. Not the reactor, something else." Tony curled in closer to Steve and Steve just held him. "I'm scared Steve." Admitted Tony, "I'm scared, and I don't know how much more of this I can take."

"We'll figure it out, together. We always figure it out. I'm here for you Tony. We'll figure this out." Whispered Steve into Tony's hair. Tony melted into the touch but tried to hold back his tears. All he wanted was to sleep. Was that too much to ask?

* * *

Hello people. I know what you're thinking after this chapter. "Isn't this supposed to be a story about Tony?" It is, alright. This was just one thing I wanted to explore. With IW fast approaching in this fic, I needed the opportunity to explore war in a different setting. How it can mess with people. I'm an archaeologist, so I find history through material culture interesting. I pulled some of the events here from real events. Steve was Cap for a good while during the war and on screen, we only ever see him in a few fights, so I took some liberties. The official MCU wiki said that Cap crashed in the ocean in 1945, so that gave me some wiggle room for events. I'll link the documentaries I watched to get information below in case you want to watch them yourself.

One more thing. I'm slightly envious of the students in this chapter. The one field trip I took in grade 12 to hear real firsthand accounts of WW2 and the Holocaust was incredible. I learned so much more in that morning about what war was like then I did in 12 years of social studies classes hearing a teacher drone on and on about politics. If any of you are interested in history and what things were like, I encourage you to get out there and learn. Don't let what your teachers and parents say you should learn hold you back. Learn about world history so we don't make the same mistakes. See you next chapter -Shadows.

references; copy paste into browser and remove spaces

worldwar2/ timeline/

watch?v= a3w9pmvpyDM

watch?v= KY1pDLilF4

watch?v= wbHPcg9zcDw


	27. The calm before the storm

Good day fellow humans and welcome to chapter 27. And with a new chapter come some new warnings. This chapter deals with self-harm, mental illness and a whole lot of screaming and crying. Don't say I didn't warn you. Now, before you start this chapter I highly recommend that you go back and read chapters 2, 14, 16, 24, and 26. With chapter 2 the only thing you really need to read is the part when Loki is in Stark Tower and talking to Tony. That's the important part. Also, before you begin to read this chapter, PLEASE READ THE END NOTE AT THE END OF THIS CHAPTER. It's extremely important. It has information and warnings you'll need for the next chapter. I'll see you at the end.

* * *

Tony looked like shit. No really, he looked like absolute shit. He'd lost weight, he wasn't sleeping, the arc reactor hurt more than normal. He well and truly looked like shit. The nightmares had started to increase in frequency after the holidays and they were really affecting Tony. The nightmares had taken on a more disturbing nature that left Tony feeling sick to his stomach when he woke up from what little sleep he'd get. He was cranky and sickly and anxious all the time. It scared him.

Tony's voice was beginning to sound rough when he talked. A combination of screaming and vomiting would do that. He told his kids that he was just getting sick because of the arc reactor and the cold of winter. He didn't want them to worry too much.

It was mid-February and Tony was looking at himself in the bathroom mirror trying not to have a breakdown. His emotions were all over the place and it was driving him insane. He woke up that morning feeling anger and betrayal even though he personally had no reason to. The purple being that had taken up a permanent residence in his dreams was feeling those emotions. Tony had no clue why.

Tony was also trying not to cry as he looked over his body. His eyes had lost their sparkle. Now they were just dull and brown. The skin around the arc reactor was angry and red. It had been like that for months. Like something was trying to be pulled out of his chest but was resisting. He'd lost some muscle mass. Tony was thinner and if you looked closely, you could see some ribs. Tony had no idea what was wrong with him. He had no idea what was happening. Forget scared, Tony Stark was terrified.

Tony's thoughts drifted to the nightmare he'd just woken up from. There was just so much anger directed at something or someone. Tony didn't know what. There was also fear. Blinding fear. Fear directed at him. Tony's wasn't a stranger to people being scared of him. He was a superhero; bad people were supposed to be scared of him. But this was different. This wasn't normal fear. This was the kind of fear and hatred that had the possibility to lead to genocide.

Tony slid down the wall across from the sink as he thought of that. Just the thought of something destroying everyone that he loved just to get rid of him was horrifying. Tony felt his breathing start to falter and tears slide down his cheeks. Tony was scared and panicking and he couldn't breathe and he didn't know what to do.

"Tony, can you open the door Darlin'?" asked Steve as he knocked on the bathroom door. Of course, Steve would have heard him. Tony couldn't quite muster up a voice to answer, what with the crying and coughing. Steve took that as permission to enter and immediately ran back into their room when he opened the door and saw that Tony's lips were a little bit blue. He returned quickly with Tony's inhaler and helped his husband take the medicine. Panic attacks weren't great for Tony's asthma.

They sat there on the floor for a while. Steve ran his hands gently up and down Tony's back and whispered reassurances in an effort to calm him down. Steve was worried. Tony was getting sicker and sicker and they couldn't do anything about it until they knew what was causing the nightmares.

"Stay here Tones. I'm just going to make sure the kids get off to school, ok. I'll be right back. Move to the bed if you're up to it, but if you can't just stay here." Tony just nodded weakly and Steve gave him a little kiss on the head before leaving the bathroom.

Steve explained to Peter and Carter that their Dad was just too sick today to send them off to school but that he sent his love. The kids frowned but understood. After the kids were safely off to school, Steve returned to his and Tony's room to find Tony still on the bathroom floor. His face was a little ashen and he was still a bit shaky.

"Wanna talk about what happened?" asked Steve softly as he sat back down next to Tony. Tony just took in a deep shaky breath and curled in closer to Steve.

"It's the same one as always. The purple one. This time though it was angry at something. I've only ever felt anger like that one time before and that was with Howard." Whispered Tony. Steve held Tony close as he tucked his husband under his chin. "There was also fear. This horrible fear directed at me. The kind of fear that leads to hatred and death. I can't keep doing this Steve. I just can't." Tony's voice broke as he talked. Steve just held him close and tried to keep himself calm for Tony's sake.

"Somethings coming. I know it. I can feel it." Worried Tony when he started talking again. "That stupid voice keeps speaking to me at night and it won't go away. I know I sound like I'm going crazy and should be locked away but I'm not. I just want this to stop. I want to figure this out so I can protect us. So I can protect our family. I can't keep living like this Steve. I can't sleep, I can't eat, I feel so useless." By the end, Tony was crying from a mixture of fear, frustration, and exhaustion.

"We'll figure this out Tones. We'll figure this out. Until we do I'll keep you and the kids safe. You just do what you need to get better Darlin'. I hate seeing you so sick." Worried Steve as he held Tony close.

Steve ended up carrying Tony back to their bed to just rest for a while. Even if Tony didn't sleep, the rest would do him some good. Tony spent the morning with his head pillowed on Steve's lap with his husband's fingers carding through his hair. When lunch rolled around Steve was able to get Tony to eat a bit of soup while the rest of the Avengers looked on worriedly. It made Tony feel awkward. He didn't stick around for too long after. Steve, however, was able to corner him before he disappeared into his lab.

"If you're going down to the lab at least take Curie with you in case something happens. Just stay safe Anthony." Spoke Steve as he held Tony's hands. Tony just nodded, called the dog, gave Steve a kiss, and went down to his lab.

When Tony got down to the lab, Curie sat down at his feet and Tony got to work. He was finishing up a new suit. Tony looked down at his bare hands, pulled on some gloves, and got to work. Tony had removed his wedding ring and engagement ring and put them on the same chain as the dog tags he always wore. It was the best way to protect the rings but keep them close as well as to prevent any unfortunate degloving incidents.

He was working with some Vibrainium that Shuri had given him in a trade for some Yinsinium a while back. He was using it to perfect his own nano-tech so that he could create a more compact, fluid suit. He was just finishing up with the finer details on what he was calling the Bleeding Edge Armour. He was using some Vibrainium to make a housing case that would sit overtop his existing arc reactor. It would draw power from the existing reactor to power the new suit. It was going to be amazing once it was finished.

Tony spent the rest of the day working with Rhodey and Scott popping in to do some science closer to dinner. Curie did her job and helped Tony when his minds began to wander back to the nightmares. She was a great dog. The goodest girl. The best doggo. When the kids got back from school, Tony was there to greet them and ask them about their days. For all intents and purposes, he looked like he was just fighting off a cold. Only the adults really knew what was going on.

That night was another sleepless one for both Steve and Tony. And not the fun kind of sleepless.

A few days later Steve woke up to the sound of painful heart-wrenching sobs coming from the bathroom. Steve bolted out of bed when he heard them. Not bothering to knock, Steve pushed the door open and instantly dropped to his knees next to Tony. Tony was slumped on the ground, clutching his left arm, that had a large gash running down it, to his chest. There was blood on the floor and Tony was freaking out.

"Tony. Anthony. Baby. What happened? Please tell me what happened?" pressed Steve as he took Tony's arm and applied pressure to the wound.

"Steve, it burns. It burns! Make it stop. Please make it stop." Pleaded Tony.

Well, that didn't sound good at all! Steve picked Tony up and cradled him in his arms before having FRIDAY alert medical to what happened. Steve's heart broke as Tony clung to him and whimpered in pain. Thank fuck the kids weren't there to see this. Peter had stayed over at Ned's to work on a project and Carter was at a sleepover at his friend Aubrey's.

When they arrived at medical they were quick to get Tony stitched up and given painkillers so that he would calm down a bit. It took some time, but eventually Tony was able to tell Steve and the doctors what had happened.

"I woke up from a nightmare and there was just unbearable pain. It wouldn't stop. I couldn't get it to stop." Tony was shaking a bit so Steve held him close for comfort and warmth.

"Can you show me where the pain is Mr. Stark?" asked the doctor. Tony pointed to a spot midway down his bicep.

"From here down." Whispered Tony, like it was somehow shameful that he was in pain.

"You have a history of nerve damage in that arm, I'll order a few tests." Spoke the Doctor as she wrote something down on her tablet. "Now, as for the cut on your wrist, what can you tell us about it?"

"It was an accident." Whispered Tony. "I was in the bathroom looking for painkillers. I was shaking so bad that my feet slipped and my arm landed on top of my razor." The doctor just nodded and wrote more stuff down.

"Alright, Mr. Stark. I've ordered a few tests for you for this afternoon. You'll need to stay here in the meantime for monitoring. Try to get some rest until then." Tony and Steve nodded and the doctors left.

Steve proceeded to crawl up on the bed and curl up next to Tony who just held him tight. They sat in relative silence for a few moments before Tony broke down.

"This sucks!" Tony had tears in his eye, "Why does bad shit keep happening to me?" he was screaming and crying and Steve's heart broke at the sound. "First Howard, then Stone, then Afghanistan. It's all too much Steve. It's just too much."

Steve just held his husband close and tried his best to soothe the hurt he was feeling.

That afternoon Tony went through a series of tests. All of them came back clean. Everyone was baffled and Tony was kept overnight for observation. Steve spent the night with him in medical after he had told the team what was going on.

When Tony was released form medical he checked in on his kids. Both were fine and healthy and full of stories about their weekend. It made Tony smile knowing that his kids were fine. On Monday when the kids went off to school, Tony went down to the lab. He needed to build. He needed to prepare. Tony opened some pre-existing schematics and got to work.

Tony started to make a prosthetic arm for himself like Bucky's… just in case.

The end of February was nearing and things weren't really getting better. Tony was still experiencing pain in his left arm periodically, the nightmares were still there, and Tony was continuing to lose weight no matter how much he ate. It was a disaster. Tony was exhausted, Steve was panicking, the Avengers were worried, and Peter and Carter had started to catch onto the fact that their Dad wasn't just sick with the flu.

It was February 28 when things finally started to fall into place. Well, everything still sucked, but the Stark family was finally getting some answers.

Tony and Steve were in a deep sleep when Tony's nightmares started up again. All too soon, both Avengers were pulled from their slumber by the sound of Tony screaming and thrashing in their bed. Steve quickly woke up and tried his best to wake up Tony from his terror.

"Tony! Tony! Wake up, sweetheart. Please wake up for me." Pleaded Steve as he gently shook Tony to wake him up.

When Tony finally woke up it was with a shout. He sat up and clasped his hands protectively around the arc reactor, pushing on the swollen skin there. Tony's eyes were screwed shut as he tried to banish the images of death and destruction from his head. Steve ran one of his hands through Tony's hair and the other ran up and down his back giving what comfort he could to his husband.

"Tony baby, can you open your eyes for me? Please, I just want to make sure you're all there Darlin'." Asked Steve as he ran a hand down Tony's face.

When Tony opened his eyes for Steve, the man was shocked. Instead of the beautiful honey brown he was used to, Steve was greeted with this unnatural yellow. The colour was similar to the colour of the Mind Stone embedded in Visions forehead. But Steve wasn't thinking about that. He was thinking about how something was hurting his husband. He was thinking about how worried he was for his husband's life. Steve was panicking. He needed Tony to be alright. This was bad. This was very bad!

"Tony! Your eyes! They're glowing yellow! Somethings wrong you need to rest!" fretted Steve as he tried in vain to get Tony to lay back down.

"I couldn't save them, Steven. I couldn't save our kids! I was right there and I couldn't do it!" Tony was crying and shaking and Steve was trying his best not to break down too.

"Our kids are safe Anthony. They're in their rooms sound asleep. They're safe baby I promise." Said Steve running his hand over Tony's hair, but Tony wasn't hearing any of it.

"I'm useless. I'm useless! I'M USELESS!" Tony was now screaming and Steve was at a loss for what to do. He just gathered Tony into his arms and rocked him back and forth kissing his hair and holding him close.

"FRIDAY! Call the other Avengers in here! We need some help!" called Steve. This was bad. They needed help.

It didn't take long for the other Avengers to enter the room. They were met with the sight of Steve holding a clearly panicked Tony while he himself was trying hard not to panic.

"What happened?" asked Clint who was closest.

"Tony had another nightmare. This one seems bad and I can't get him to calm down. I can't help him till he calms down." A single tear rolled down Steve's cheek and the room went cold. Something was seriously wrong with Tony Stark.

When the room was silent all they could hear was Tony continuously whispering "I'm useless" punctuated by little sniffles and hiccups. Natasha was the first one to make a move. She sat on the bed next to Tony and Steve and started talking.

"You're not useless Tony. You're far from it. You work hard every day to help others and make a difference. And, after living with you for so long, I think I need to make an amendment to my original review of you. Tony Stark is always recommended. Tony Stark is needed. Where would we all be without you? Probably dead or doing horrible stuff. You are important Tony. We need you, even if you don't believe it." Spoke Natasha softly, her hand resting gently on Tony's knee.

Now that the ice was broken Rhodey moved forward to sit with his brother.

"Tony you are so far from useless you don't even exist in the same universe. You do so much for us every day. You have two amazing kids who look up to you. You're my little brother Tones. You're not useless." Soothed Rhodey.

"You're not useless Stark. You gave me a home even after all the stuff I did to hurt others. You gave me a second chance. You gave us a home and a family." Said, Wanda, as she took a seat on the floor next to the bed.

"You built me an entire arm! That's not being useless, that's being my hero." commented Bucky sitting down next to Steve.

One by one different members of the Avengers took a seat around the room and spoke soft things to help tony calm down. It was working. Tony slowly began to calm down as he listened to his teammates' talk and felt the steady drumming of Steve's heart by his head.

"You feeling a bit better Darlin'?" asked Steve as he hugged Tony close. Tony nodded but didn't make to move away from Steve.

"Can you tell us what happened?" Asked Sam

So Tony started talking. It was quiet and reserved with Tony having to take a few breaks to calm down, but eventually, he was able to explain to the other Avengers what had been happening.

"When Tony opened his eyes after the nightmare they were glowing yellow. That's not normal." Cautioned Steve. Everyone in the room froze.

"My eye's glow a bit red when I use my powers. Maybe this is something similar?" piped in Wanda. All eyes turned to her.

"You said they were yellow. Was it like the Mind Stone at all?" asked Vision as he made to move closer. Steve pondered for a moment then nodded. The glow was exactly like the Mind Stone.

"Tony, have you ever been in direct contact with the Mind Stone?" asked Rhodey as he sat closer to Tony and grabbed his brother's hand. Tony sat there for a moment, thinking back to every interaction he'd had with an Infinity Store. Then it hit him. Loki!

"The Battle of New York!" All eyes in the room turned to Tony. "During the battle, it was just Loki and me in the penthouse. He tried to control me with the sceptre by touching it to the arc reactor! It didn't work. Soon after the visions started. Well, they weren't this bad or frequent… but they were there! They started picking up and getting worse after that bunker is Sakovia." Realized Tony. This was big. If this was the influence of the Mind Stone it would explain a lot.

"Ok, so Stark had powers of some sort. Any idea what they do?" asked Scott scuffing his feet on the floor. He was only stopped by Hope smacking him upside the head.

Everyone just sat around thinking about what these hypothetical powers could be. They didn't really have a baseline for any of that. Wanda and Carter had telekinesis, but Carter also had a healing factor. Wanda's late brother Pietro had super speed and was nothing like his sister. Vision could shoot beams from the stone as well as fly. Nobody had any idea. Nobody except Tony.

"You're not the only one cursed with knowledge." Whispered Tony.

"What was that?" asked Steve as he held Tony's hands tight in his.

"That's what the voice in my dream just told me. I'm thinking, what if these aren't dreams? What if they're visions. I had contact with an Infinity Stone, it's not too much of a stretch to say that I got something out of it like Wanda did. Some sort of clairvoyance." Wondered Tony.

When Tony uttered those words, everything seemed to fall into place. Clairvoyance would explain why Tony would wake up from a nightmare with the feeling that something was coming. It would explain how he knew That this voice that talked to him at night was real. It would explain the very real pain in his arm that one time he woke up. It explained everything. Everyone else seemed to understand. They all agreed to reconvene when it was time for breakfast. In the meantime, they needed to get more sleep. Steve just held Tony close until the sun rose and their kids woke up to get ready for school. Neither slept, they just held each other in search of comfort.

Once the kids were off to school Tony found himself back in medical. This time they were comparing Tony's blood to Wanda's to look for traces of the Mind Stone. The evidence was overwhelming. The Mind Stone had taken root in Tony's DNA and given him powers. The doctors also found something else there. It was extremely similar but they had no idea what it was. Either way, they had some answers and now Tony could work on getting better.

Now that they had some answers Tony started working closely with Wanda and Vision to get some sort of handle on his new powers. It was hard work but being able to sleep and eat like normal was a welcome change to what had been happening. Now that Tony was feeling better he was able to spend more time with his kids like he wanted too. Peter and Carter were just happy to have their Dad back to somewhat normal. Tony did end up telling his kids about his powers. Peter looked a bit solemn while Carter was excited. The kid didn't really understand the implications and was just excited that his Dad had super powers too.

March turned into April and Tony had gained back the weight he'd lost. He looked healthy and was smiling more. Steve took it upon himself to make Tony feel as loved as possible. They went out on dates at least once a week and spent most of their time together. It was the morning of April 26, 2018, when Steve came into the kitchen with a suggestion for their day.

"Hey, after we drop the kids off at school why don't we go out for a walk. It's been a while since we've done that." Smiled Steve as he gave his husband a kiss.

"Sounds good to me. Just let me grab the Bleeding Edge suit and I'll be good to go." Tony smiled back. Despite still being early, it was shaping up to be a good day.

* * *

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I based the whole thing off of a hunch I've had since AOU came out. Tony saying that Thanos had been in his head in IW was just the kicker. I'm sorry if this chapter was a bit dark. It's only going to get darker from here. Now for the fun stuff. I ask that you please go back and read chapters 12, 14, 26. I've been alluding to something big for a while now and these chapters specifically point it out without actually pointing it out if you catch my drift. They'll be really important for the next two chapters. As well the next two chapters are being written back to back for reasons that will soon become clear so they may take a few weeks to be written and uploaded. I'm pretty sure you've guessed that the next event to take place is Infinity War. I just want you all to be prepared. In the interest of everyone's mental health and sanity follow Clint's Tumblr hawkvengerpr for some laughs before I rip your heart out.

Warnings for the next 2 chapter; extreme violence, blood and gore, references to past non-con events, death, children fighting in fights that they shouldn't, multiple viewpoint changes, and pain. So much pain.

You have been warned -Shadows.


	28. To Infinity

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In memory of Stan Lee. Thank you for creating this wonderful world and giving us heroes that make us smile.

* * *

"This is the Asgardian refugee vessel _Statesman_! We are under assault, I repeat, we are under assault - The engines are dead, life support failing! Requesting aid from any vessel within range. We are 22 jump points out of Asgard. Our crew is made up of Asgardian families, we have very few soldiers here! This is _not_ a warcraft, I repeat, this is not a warcraft!"

That desperate call was sent out over all frequencies in the desperate hope that someone was around to hear their plea. The Asgardian vessel was already in ruins and the mass majority of the remaining Asgardians were dead. Thor had sent Valkyrie and Korg to gather up as many children as they could and take off in the Grand Master's stolen orgy ship. Thor hoped that they'd made it out alive. The only ones on the ship left alive were himself, Loki, Hulk, Heimdall, and Thanos with his "children". There was smoke and ash coating everything.

Thor was slumped on the ground, his body too beaten to move much. Heimdall was laying on the floor bleeding, the Bifrost sword just out of his reach. Hulk was hiding just out of sight, waiting for his cue to go in and attack. They needed to keep the element of surprise if they intended to make it off this ship alive. Loki was standing off to the side, trying not to show any fear as Ebony Maw, one of Thanos' "children" glided past him.

"Hear me and rejoice. You have had the privilege of being saved by the Great Titan. You may think this is suffering. No... it is _**salvation**_. Universal scales tip toward balance because of your sacrifice. Smile... for even in death, you have become Children of Thanos." Spoke the Maw as he turned back to look at the Mad Titan himself.

Thanos was standing tall in his full armour right next to Thor. He was gazing out the window in front of him. Taking in the vast emptiness of space. He seemed almost tranquil if it weren't for the glowing Power Stone on his gauntlet and the anger that played in his eyes.

"I know what it's like to lose. To _feel_ so desperately that you're right... yet to fail, nonetheless." Thanos picked Thor up by the breastplate of his armour, making the God of Thunder choke and gasp "It's frightening. Turns the legs to jelly. I ask you, to what end? Dread it. Run from it. Destiny arrives all the same. And now, it's here. Or should I say... _I am."_

Thanos proceeded to throw the bloodied god to the ground. He readjusted his grip and held Thor by the head. Thor spat up blood but held his ground.

"You talk too much."

Thanos wasn't listening to all. He only had eyes for Loki. The Titan held his gaze but Loki didn't budge. He held strong and refused to let the Titan intimidate him.

"The Tesseract, or your brother's head. I assume you have a preference." Spoke Thanos. Loki looked down at Thor who only blinked at him. It was one of their signals.

While on the ship together, Loki and Thor had talked at length about Thanos and what he had done to Loki. They talked about his plan to murder half of all life and they had made a plan on what they should to in the off chance that Thanos found Loki and attacked their ship. This was part of their plan. Thanos could not be allowed to get the Space Stone.

"Oh, I do. Kill away." Smiled Loki.

Thanos didn't even hesitate. He held the Power Stone directly to Thor's head and smiled. The pain Thor felt was excruciating. He screamed in agony. Loki thought that he could handle it. He was sorely mistaken.

"Alright Stop!" screamed Loki as he lost his cold demeanour.

"We don't have the Tesseract. It was destroyed on Asgard." Spat Thor as he looked at Loki. It was time to initiate the next stage of their plan. Loki looked back at Thor and frowned. This had better work. Loki held out his hand and the Tesseract materialized out of nowhere.

"You really are the worst brother."

Loki just looked at Thor and gave him a sad smile. He wanted the next thing he said to have meaning just in case things went bad.

"I assure you brother the sun will shine on us again."

"Your optimism is misplaced Asgardian." Laughed Thanos as he loosened his grip in Thor's head to reach for the cube.

"Well, for one thing, I'm not Asgardian." Loki smiled. He hoped this would work. "And for another… We had a Hulk."

Loki dove for Thor, pulling his brother out of the way as Hulk ran out and began throwing punch after punch at the Titan. Hulk landed in a few good hits against the Titan, even managing to throw him into a wall and a few support struts. Unfortunately, not even the Hulk was enough to stand up to a battle-hardened Titan with the Power Stone. Thanos began punching Hulk in the head, slowing his movements. Soon after, Thanos picked up Hulk and slammed him down hard against the crumbled ashen floor of the ship. He didn't get back up.

While Thanos was basking in the glory of his defeat of the Asgardian ship while walking towards the fallen tesseract, he failed to notice Heimdall making a last-ditch attempt to stop Thanos.

"Allfathers… let the dark magic flow through me… one last time"

A stunning rainbow light emerged from Heimdall's fingers and over to Hulk. Using the last of his energy, he sent Hulk back home to Earth so that he could warn them of the upcoming attack. The light was enough to take Thanos' attention away from the Tesseract and onto Heimdall himself.

"That was a mistake." Grumbled Thanos as he stabbed a loose piece of rebar through the fallen Asgardian, killing him instantly. That was the last time Heimdall would ever summon the Bifrost.

"You'll die for that!" shouted Thor as his heart broke for his fallen friend.

"Shh." Whispered the Maw as he encased Thor in loose metal trapping him to the ground, unable to move. He then walked over and picked up the fallen Tesseract and knelt before Thanos.

"My humble personage… bows before your grandeur. No other being has ever had the might, nay the nobility, to wield not one, but two Infinity Stones. The universe lies within your grasp."

Thanos took the tesseract in his hand and crushed in into thousands of tiny pieces as if the Tesseract itself were made of glass. The shards fell to the floor, leaving only the glowing Space Stone sitting in the palm for the Mad Titan's hand. Thanos shook with power as he nestled the stone into its space in the gauntlet just under his middle finger.

"There are two more Stones on Earth. Find them, my children, and bring them to me on Titan." Ordered Thanos.

"If I might interject…" interrupted Loki as he emerged from the shadows, "If you're going to Earth, you might want a guide. I do have a bit of experience in that arena."

"If you consider failure experience." Mocked Thanos, turning his attention to Loki.

"I consider experience, experience." Spoke Loki as he walked closer, hands behind his back. "Almighty Thanos, I... Loki... Prince of Asgard..." He looked at Thor and tried to look brave, "Odinson... The rightful King of Jotunheim... God of Mischief... do hereby pledge to you, my undying fidelity."

Thor squinted and looked at Loki's hand. In it, the God of Mischief had materialized an ornate dagger. Loki always had a bit of a flair for the dramatic. Loki braced himself, then swung his arm forward with the intent of slashing the Mad Titan's neck.

Just as Loki thought that he was going to get in a hit, his arm was held in place with the power of the Space Stone.

"Undying. You should choose your words more carefully." Goaded the Titan and he swooped down and grabbed Loki by the neck making Thor worry for his brother's life.

Thanos held Loki tightly by the throat, his feet dangling as he thrashed and gasped for breath. Loki was in pain and Thor was powerless to help his brother.

"You.. will never… be… a god…" coughed Loki as he struggled for air.

Loki pulled all the magic he could to the forefront of his body, using it to protect his neck. Unfortunately, that was only enough to prevent his neck from snapping. It did nothing against oxygen deprivation and soon, Loki passed out. Thanos threw him to the floor in front of Thor, leaving the younger god sprawled out on the ground. If you weren't looking closely Loki appeared to be dead.

"No resurrections this time." Spoke Thanos in a grave tone. A blue light enveloped him and the Black Order as the fled the ship that was being pulled apart by the Power Stone.

Thor was freed from his bindings. He crawled over to his brother who was having a hard time breathing. He leant down his head and rested it on Loki's chest and listened to his brother's weak heartbeat. Thor shed a few tears. This wasn't how he wanted things to end. Thor grabbed Loki and held him tight. If he was going to die, Thor wanted to die with his brother.

As the ship exploded, the fading light of the travelling Bifrost could be seen in the distance heading swiftly back to Earth.

"What do you mean you don't have any money?" remarked Dr. Stephen Strange as he and Wong walked down the steps of the sanctum.

"Attachment to the physical is detachment from the spiritual." Spoke Wong with a smile.

"I'll tell the guys at the deli. Maybe they'll make you a metaphysical ham on rye." Snarked Strange.

"Oh, wait, wait, wait, I think I have 200." Said Wong digging around in his pockets pulling out a wad of bills.

"Dollars?"

"Rupees."

"Which is?"

"Uh, buck and a half." Strange just sighed. This always happened when he and Wong went out. "What do you want?"

"I wouldn't say no to a tuna melt." Answered Wong.

The two sorcerers were just about to leave when they were rudely interrupted by a body falling through their ceiling. The Cloak of Levitation quickly pulled itself around Strange's shoulders as he and Wong ran to see what had happened.

There in the rubble of the broken staircase lay Bruce Banner who was still looking a bit green around the edges. His eyes looked wild and his body held bruises. The pants he was wearing were tattered and dusty and his hair was tangled and greyer than it had been last time he was on Earth.

"Thanos is coming! He's coming!" breathed out Bruce.

"Who?" asked the two sorcerers as they moved forward to help the missing Avenger.

MTHS

"Hey! Slow down there Mr. Not all of us are super soldiers." Called Tony as Steve slowed down his run so that Tony could catch up. Tony walked back over to Steve and his husband wrapped his arm around his shoulder so they could walk together.

Tony and Steve were taking the morning to just walk together in Central Park, a rare outing for both of them. They were always so busy with the UN and SI and the whole thing with Tony's visions. It was nice just to have some time together without anyone else butting in. The kids were at school safe and sound so now they could relax.

"So… remember this morning when you asked me if I had had a nightmare last night and I said no?" asked Tony as the two came to a stop near a tree.

"Please don't tell me you were lying." Spoke an exasperated Steve.

"No no no! I wasn't lying." Panicked Tony. He didn't want Steve to be mad at him. "I wasn't lying. I didn't have a nightmare last night, but I did have a vision."

"About?" asked Steve skeptically. He was still worried.

"Last night, I dreamt that we had another kid. A little girl with your hair and my eyes." Tony smiled and Steve couldn't help but mirror it.

"Now that's the kind of vision I like you having." Steve was smiling such a goofy smile. He really did love his husband.

"We should look into adopting once all this villain stuff has blown over." Beamed Tony. Steve just nodded and lent down to give his husband a kiss.

A kiss that was rudely interrupted by a portal opening up in front of them.

"Tony Stark, I'm Doctor Stephen Strange. I need you to come with me. Oh, uh, congratulations on the wedding, by the way." Spoke the wizard dressed in blue. Nodding to both Tony and Steve.

"You giving out tickets to a magic show or something?" snarked Tony.

"We need your help." Spoke Strange. "Look it's not overselling to say that the fate of the universe is at stake"

"And who's we?" questioned Tony grabbing Steve's hand.

"Hey, Tony. Hey Steve." Came a voice from behind Strange.

When Bruce Banner stumbled through the portal and latched himself onto Tony, both Steve and Tony were surprised. They'd worried over the fate of their friend for years. Nobody knew what had happened to Bruce after he flew off after Ultron. The fact that he was here and alive was incredible.

"Bruce! Are you alright?" asked Tony as he and Steve made to support their friend as they followed Strange through the portal.

"I'm uninjured." Replied Bruce as he, Tony, and Steve sat down on one of the benches near the front door of the sanctum.

"But are you alright?" pressed Steve.

"Not really." Huffed out Bruce looking down at his hands.

"Brucie Bear, what happened to you? Where were you?" asked Tony pulling his science bro closer for comfort.

"I don't even know where to start."

"Then start where you feel comfortable." Comforted Steve as he too held his friend close.

So Bruce started talking. He told them about flying off in the jet after Ultron. He told them about getting caught in the wormhole and landing in a junkyard on Sakaar. He told them about being stuck as the Hulk for the past two years. He told them about Loki and Thor arriving and him turning back into himself. He told them about fighting Thor's older sister and the destruction of Asgard.

And that lead to the fight on the Statesman and Thanos' search for the Infinity Stones.

"Are you familiar with what Infinity Stones are?" Strange asked both Tony and Steve.

"Yes, we're familiar with the Infinity Stones. We deal with one every day. It's just normal at this point. Hell, I even have shitty powers from the Fucking Mind Stone! I think I know about these stupid stones." Rambled on Tony while Steve held his hand, Bruce looked concerned and full of questions, and the two sorcerers just looked miffed.

"STARK!" shouted Strange looking irate.

"Yes." Replied both Tony and Steve at the same time before they devolved into giggles.

"Wait, Steve, you took Tony's last name?" interrupted Bruce. It just made Tony sad that his science bro had missed his wedding.

"Well, both the kids have Tony's last name so I wanted it too." Smiled Steve as he caught Bruce up on what happened while he was gone.

"KIDS? You had another one?"

"We adopted a teenager with superpowers named Peter a year and a half ago. I think you'll like him. He's a huge science nerd. Same with Carter now that I let him in the lab."

"Let's get back on track here. The fate of the universe is at stake." Huffed Strange.

Alright alright alright. Fine. Tell me his name again." Asked Tony turning to Bruce as his friend paced back and forth around the room.

"Thanos. He's a plague, Tony. He invades planets. He takes what he wants. He wipes out half the population. He sent Loki. The attack on New York, _that's him."_ Panicked Bruce as he moved closer to where Tony and Steve were sitting.

"Thanos, is he perchance purple with a scrotum looking chin?" asked Tony as his face turned white.

"Yeah, he is." Answered Bruce looking at Tony with confusion.

"Well Shit." Whispered Steve as he felt Tony tense up and start to shake.

Panic attacks weren't new for the Stark's. But this, this was so much worse. This was Tony's worst nightmare coming to fruition. This was it. This was what Tony had been preparing for coming to life. This was also one of the worst panic attacks Tony had ever had.

"Tony baby, I need you to breathe, ok?" Whispered Steve as he knelt on the floor in front of his husband. Steve let Tony grasp at one of his hands while the other ran through Tony's hair.

It took 10 minutes of Steve and Bruce's combined effort to get Tony calm enough to talk.

"Stark, you said that the Mind Stone gave you powers. Is that how you know about Thanos?" asked Strange as he watched Steve help Tony to stand up on his still shaky legs.

"Clairvoyance." Breathed out Tony as Steve held him close. "It's super shitty. I only get stuff through dreams, and it's only partial. I can't see everything and I can't tell you specific events. I can only really feel things." Strange, Wong, and Bruce looked on incredulously. "I told you they were shitty."

"So if you've known about this for a while and The Avengers have taken the time to prepare, we might just have a fighting chance." Spoke Bruce

"This is still a really bad situation." Commented Strange.

"Well No Shit Sherlock!" shouted Tony before he stood up shrugging off Steve's hand.

Tony took that moment to walk a bit away from Steve and stretch. His muscles already felt tired and they hadn't even started any fighting yet.

"Alright… what's our timeline?" asked Tony as Steve frowned. He could tell that Tony was terrified and was trying to hide it.

"No telling. He has the Power and Space Stones, that already makes him the strongest creature in the whole _universe._ If he gets his hands, on all six Stones, Tony..." spoke Bruce before he was interrupted by Strange.

"He can destroy life on a scale hitherto undreamt of."

Tony just nodded and lent on an old caldron and stretched out his legs. Steve was hovering close by, all the while putting together a battle plan in his head.

"Did you _seriously_ just say "hitherto undreamt of"?

"Are you _seriously_ leaning on the Cauldron of the Cosmos?" snarked Strange.

"Is that what this is...?" quired Tony.

At that moment the Cloak of Levitation took it upon itself to smack Tony on the ass. Before Tony could even react, Steve was up and standing in front of his husband defending his honour.

"Don't you dare touch my husband! He's mine!" growled Steve.

"Alright Mr. Possessive, I'm the one who's supposed to be freaking out!" spoke Tony as he grabbed Steve's arm. Steve calmed down a bit and held onto Tony to keep his husband's breathing even and calm.

"So… If Thanos is after the stone, why don't we stick that one down the garbage disposal?" asked Tony as he frantically gestured to the Eye of Agamoto hanging around Strange's neck.

"No can do." Spoke Strange as he shook his head.

"We swore an oath to protect the Time Stone. With our lives." Said Wong gravely.

"Yeah, well, I swore off dairy." Said Tony.

"Because you're lactose intolerant." Quipped Steve.

"But then Ben and Jerry's named a flavour after me so…"

"Stark Raving Hazelnuts." Supplied Strange.

"It's not bad." Smirked Tony.

"Bit chalky." Replied Strange and Steve had the gall to look offended on his husband's behalf.

""A Hunka-Hulka Burning Fudge" is our favourite." Spoke up Wong and Bruce's face lit up.

"Is that a thing?" Wong nodded and Bruce smiled.

"My point is, things change" spoke up Tony from his place next to Steve.

"Our oath to protect the Time Stone cannot change. This Stone may be the best chance we have against Thanos." Spoke Strange as he looked between all three Avengers.

"And still conversely, it may also be his best chance against us." Implored Tony

"Well if we don't do our jobs!" argued Strange.

"What is your job exactly? Making balloon animals?" jested Tony and Strange got angrier.

"Protecting your reality douchebag!"

"Okay, guys, could we table this discussion right now? The fact is that we have this Stone. We know _where it is_. Vision is out there somewhere with the Mind Stone, and we have to find him _now_." Stressed Bruce as he looked between Tony and Steve.

"Vision and Wanda left a few weeks ago to vacation in Europe. They're in Scotland right now." Replied Steve. "We know where he is."

"Ok, that's good. We know where Vision is." Sighed Bruce.

"We need a plan." Huffed Tony still trying not to panic. "We need to alert the rest of the team. Everyone needs to be ready to fight at a moments notice."

It was at that moment that everyone heard an unusual rumbling noise coming from outside. Tony looked around the room. When his eye's landed on Strange, he saw that a small piece of his hair was moving, like it was caught up in a light breeze.

"Say Doc are you doing that?" asked Tony gestured to Strange's hair. Strange looked up and frowned.

"No…"

Everyone looked up and the hole Hulk had made in the ceiling of the Sanctum. In the sky above they could see dust and leaves flying around in a flurry. The wind had increased exponentially since they had all arrived at the Sanctum.

That was when they heard the screaming.

Tony and Steve walked towards the front door of the sanctum. When Tony yanked the door open the whole atmosphere had changed. Instead of the morning being bright and happy like it had been earlier when Tony and Steve were walking together. Now, the air was full of dust and debris. People were running and screaming. Cars were crashing into each other. The world was in chaos.

Tony and Steve went running. They sent Bruce and Wong over to help a crash victim while they pushed forward. Tony shipped on a special pair of glasses that had FRIDAY connected to them. She immediately began looking for information. Tony was just telling Strange to hide the Time Stone when he heard another loud booming noise that caused them all to look up.

In the sky was a giant circular ship.

Meanwhile, Peter and his friend Ned were sitting quietly on the bus on their way to a field trip. Ned had his music in and Peter was resting his head on his arms. That was when he felt it. Deep in his gut, Peter felt that something was incredibly wrong. The hairs rose on his arms and Peter looked out the window. In the distance, Peter could see the same ship his parents were currently looking at. Peter knew he had to go help, so he turned to Ned to try and get his attention.

"Ned! Hey, I need you to cause a distraction." Asked Peter as he sneakily got his web shooters out of his pocket. Ned turned around to look at the ship and made a plan.

"Holy Shit! We're all gonna die!" shouted Ned.

All the students on the bus turned to look outside giving Peter the time to put on his mask and sneak off the bus before swinging his way towards the ship.

Back at the ship, Tony was ordering FRIDAY to start evacuation of the citizens as the five heroes walked closer to the ship. There was so much dust and debris in the air that they couldn't see much. Strange took it upon himself to cast a spell that made the wind stop and the dust settle. Strange sent Tony a wink and Steve served the sorcerer a look that very pointedly said: "he's mine".

Now that the dust had settled, the heroes could finally see what was in front of them. Besides the wrecked buildings and cars, there were two alien beings. One was large and muscular with an air of stupidity and anger. The other was tall and lanky with a large nose. Both of them had grey skin and an air of superiority.

"Hear me and rejoice. You are about to die at the hands of the Children of Thanos. Be thankful, that your meaningless lives are now contributing to..." spoke Ebony Maw before he was interrupted.

"I'm sorry but Earth is closed today!" yelled Tony. "You'd better pack up and get out of here."

"Stone Keeper… does this chattering animal speak for you?" asked Maw looking at Strange. Tony just looked offended at being called an animal.

"Certainly not. I speak for myself. But you're trespassing in this city and on this planet." Replied Strange as he banged his wrists together and created a pair of shields using his magic.

"It means get lost Squidward!" shouted Tony looking Maw dead in the eyes.

"If you want the stone you're not getting it." Yelled Steve.

Maw turned to Cull Obsidian and ordered him to grab the stone. That was when everyone started to panic.

"Bruce, you want a piece?" asked Tony trying to get the Hulk to appear and help them out.

"Not really, but when do I ever get what I want?" said Bruce as he focused hard and tried to force the Hulk out. He turned green around the edges but to no avail.

"Bruce, what's going on?" asked Steve as he looked between Bruce and Obsidian.

"I don't know! We're sort of having a thing. Just give me a moment." Bruce tried to call forth the Hulk. It wasn't working and Bruce looked dizzy and exhausted.

"Dude, you're embarrassing me in front of the wizards." Quipped Tony to help defuse the tension.

"Guys, I'm sorry… either I can't or he won't…" stammered Bruce as he watched Obsidian get closer.

"Hey, it's fine. It's ok. Just stand down buddy." Spoke Tony as he made sure that Wong was protecting his science bro.

Once Tony was sure that Bruce was taken care of, he took a step forward. Tony pulled the strings on his hoodie taught so that the material sat flush with his skin. He then pressed the centre of his new arc reactor three times and began walking. The nano-particles that made up the Bleeding Edge Armour blead over his body, carefully encompassing him in a combination of Tony's original gold-titanium alloy, yinsinium, and vibrainium.

When Obsidian made to strike, Tony used some of his spare particles to make a shield to deflect the attack. That gave him enough time to land a solid punch before falling back revealing a whole entire set of blasters.

The blast hit Obsidian right in the chest, sending him flying back towards Maw. Unfortunately for the heroes, it appeared that Maw had some form of telekinesis and was able to push the larger alien out of the way with a flick of the wrist.

"Where did that come from?!" commented a baffled Bruce as he looked Tony over.

"Nanotech. You like it?" replied Tony right before a pillar of concrete flung him into the sky.

As Tony flew back down, he saw Strange use one of his portals to teleport Bruce to a safe location. Meanwhile, Tony could see Steve looking around frantically for something to use as a weapon.

"What watch are you wearing?" asked Tony as he landed next to Steve.

"The one you gave me a few weeks ago. Why?"

"Set it to 11:59 and hit the centre three times." Shouted Tony as he flew back into the fray. Steve did as instructed and was surprised when a shield that looked similar to his own made out of nanoparticles sprung forth.

"I love science." remarked Steve before he ran off to join his husband.

The whole fight was pure chaos. Tony and Steve were there doing most of the hand to hand and aerial fighting. Strange and Wong were in charge of the magic side of things during the altercation, all the while they all tried to keep Strange and the stone out of the hands of these so-called "children of Thanos."

When Obsidian started to run towards the park where Strange had thrown Bruce, that was when everyone split up. Tony went to help Bruce while Steve stayed to fight with Strange. Tony got to Bruce just in the nick of time to push his friend out of the way of a giant hammer thrown by the larger of the two alien intruders. Tony got into some close range combat while Bruce tried in vain to convince a very incompatible Hulk to come out and help with the fight.

Tony was blocking hit after hit from Obsidian doing all he could just to stay standing against the strength of the alien. Tony took a hit to the left side that left him out of breath. FRIDAY was quick to administer medication to Tony so that he could breathe without having an asthma attack. As soon as the medicine took effect Tony was turning around to block another swing of the oversized hammer.

Only to have it blocked by his eldest son.

"Hey, Dad. What's up?" asked Peter as he blocked the incoming attack with ease.

"Peter! Where did you come from?" panicked Tony. This was no fight for a child, superpowers or not.

"The field trip to the MoMA."

"Then get back on that bus. This isn't a fight for you to fight in kid!"

It was then that Obsidian grabbed Peter and threw him out of the way.

"Dad, what's this guy's deal?" shouted Peter as he swung back toward Tony.

"He's from space. He came to steal a necklace from a wizard." Explained Tony as he continued to fight while trying to push Peter out of the way.

"Steven Honey, we have a bit of a problem here." Called Tony over their comlink. Neither left the house without any type of comlink to the other after the whole Stone debacle.

"What is it? What's wrong?" asked Steve over their link. He sounded out of breath.

"A certain little spider left his field trip and has entered our active fight zone." Snarked Tony as he made a shield out of some extra nanobots in the suit to protect Peter from a wayward hit.

"HE WHAT!?" shouted Steve over the coms as he came running to their location.

"Peter, what were you thinking?" scolded Steve once he got there. Wong was holding back Obsidian so that the family could sort out their problem.

"I saw the big doughnut ship and I felt all this sensation that everything was wrong. I couldn't just stand by while people got hurt." Argued Peter. His parents shared a look and sighed.

"You are so grounded after this young man!" shouted Tony and Steve at the same time, and the three ran off back into the fray.

After a few more minutes of fighting, Tony saw Strange being carried off towards the ship with Maw right with him.

"Kid, that's the wizard." Announced Tony tilting his head in the direction Strange was heading. Peter nodded and ran off to help while Tony, Steve, and Wong tried to subdue Obsidian. Bruce was still fighting with Hulk.

Tony and Steve were going hand to hand with Obsidian, taking blow after blow. Tony ended up pinned beneath the hammer while Steve and Wong figured out a way to free him. That was when they got a call from Peter over their coms.

"Dad! Pops! I'm being beamed up!" shouted Peter and his parents began to panic.

"Hang on Pete!" shouted Tony as he struggled to get free. That was when Wong opened a portal to Antarctica, trapping Cull Obsidian on the other side and severing his hand in the process.

"Thanks, Wong." Called out Tony before he took to the sky to rescue his son. Steve stayed on the ground and worried.

"FRIDAY! Give me a boost!" commanded Tony. FRIDAY rearranged some of the Nanoparticles to create a rocket booster that gave him the speed to catch up with the ship. "Unlock 17-A." shouted Tony as he got closer to the ship.

"Pete, you gotta let go. I'm gonna catch you, alright." Spoke Tony as he tried to keep Peter from panicking as his son held on to the outside of the ship.

"But you said save the wizard." Gasped Peter as the ship climbed higher in the sky. "Dad, I can't breathe."

"You're too high up. You're running out of air." Spoke Tony calmly even though he was freaking out on the inside.

"Yeah! That makes sense." Spoke Peter as he proceeded to pass out from lack of oxygen and fall backwards. Just in time for the pod Tony called to materialize around Peter, creating the Iron-Spider Suit.

"Dad! It smells like a new car in here!" commented Peter as he came back to himself and got his footing on the ship.

"Happy trails Peter. FRIDAY send him home." Commanded Tony. A parachute burst forth from the Iron-Spider armour and Peter complained as he was sent back to the ground. Tony took that opportunity to climb onto the ship.

"Boss, you have an incoming call from your husband." Spoke FRIDAY once Tony was onboard the ship.

"Please tell me you're not on that ship." Came Steve's voice over their link.

"I'm so sorry Steven." Was all Tony could say.

"Tony, I love you. Please come back safe. Please, Tony." He could hear his husband's voice cracking over the link.

"No matter what happens, remember I love you." Whispered Tony. He needed Steve to know that he loved him, just in case.

"Tony…" The link cracked.

"Boss, we're losing him… I'm going too." Spoke the AI as their link was severed and the ship went into space.

Back on the ground, Steve was panicking while Bruce tried to calm him down. Steve's husband was in space and he had lost contact with Peter. Everything was a nightmare.

"Cap, you need to calm down. I know this is bad and everything had gone to shit, but we need to get Vision so we can guard that last stone." Encouraged Bruce as he stood next to Steve.

"Right." Huffed out, Steve. "Alright… I'm calling in the rest of the team. This is a code red." Steve's eyes became dangerous with anger. This was war.

MTHS

The residents of the Milano were in various stated of relaxation as they flew through space. Drax and Rocket were snoozing, Groot was playing some sort of obnoxious video game, Mantis was just sitting and doing her own thing, and Quill and Gamora were singing along to "Rubber Band Man". It was all quite peaceful considering what they were about to face.

"Why are we doing this again?" yawned Rocket as he woke up from his nap.

"It's a distress signal Rocket. Someone could be dying!" snarled Gamora as she looked back at her teammate.

"I get that but why are we going it?" snarked back the raccoon.

"'Cause we're nice. And maybe whoever it is will give us a little cheddar cheese for our help." Snickered Quill as he rubbed his hands together.

"Which isn't the point." Spoke Gamora as she glared at Quill

"Which isn't the point... I mean… If he doesn't pony up…" whispered Quill.

"We'll take his ship." Interrupted Drax as he too woke up from his nap.

"Exactly!" exclaimed Rocket

"B-b-b-bingo!" cheered Quill but he stopped once Gamora gave him her murder glare.

"We are arriving." Spoke Mantis as she looked down at the console. Everyone looked down to confirm.

"All right, Guardians. Don't forget, this might be dangerous, so let's put on our mean faces." Spoke Quill as he turned around to look at his team. His eyes landed on Groot, who was still playing his video game. "Groot put that thing away. Now. I don't wanna tell you again".

Groot just continued to play his game. He even turned the volume up.

"Groot!" shouted Quill trying to get the teen's attention.

"I am Groot." Came the snarky reply.

Various cries of "language" and "wow" were heard throughout the ship.

"You've got some acorns on you kid." Chided Quill as he turned his attention back to the controls.

"Ever since you got a little sap, you're a total d-hole. Keep it up, and I'm gonna _smash that thing to pieces!"_ insulted Rocket. Groot just rolled his eyes.

The ship came to an abrupt stop as they arrived at the sight of the distress signal. They were too late to be of any help. There were dead bodies floating everywhere. Most were bloodied and bruised. Giant chunks of what used to be a vessel were floating among the bodies like some cathartic symphony. It made everyone sick to their stomach.

"What happened?" asked Mantis as she looked out over the wreckage.

"Looks like we're not getting paid." Whispered Rocket.

It was at that moment that two bodies, one holding onto the other, crashed onto the front window of the ship. One was large and muscular with short golden hair and an eye patch. He was wearing torn up armour and what remained of what must have been a red cape. The other was lanky with greasy black hair and had a large hand-shaped bruise around their neck. They were dressed much nicer than the other, being clad in black leather with a yellow-backed cape.

"Wipers! Wipers! Get them off! Get them off!" panicked Rocket. That was when the large blond one opened his one eye. He was alive!

Quill and Drax were quick to put on their space suits so they could exit the ship and rescue the two injured people on their windshield. As soon as they were brought in they were placed on a couple of spare medical tables. Both, were by some miracle, still breathing, although the black haired one seemed to be having more difficulty.

"How the hell are these dudes still alive?" questioned Quill as he looked down at the two men he had rescued.

"This one is not a dude. You're a dude. This... This is a man. A handsome, muscular man." Spoke Drax as he gestured to the larger of the two unconscious men.

"I'm muscular." Countered Quill

"Who are you kidding, Quill? You're one sandwich away from fat." Teased Rocket.

"Yeah, right." Scoffed Quill as he looked at his team

"He is anxious." Interrupted Mantis as she got closer. "Angry. He feels tremendous loss and guilt."

"It's like a pirate had a baby with an angel." Spoke Drax completely ignoring everything Mantis was saying.

"Wow. This is a real wake-up call for me. Okay. I'm gonna get a Bowflex. I'm gonna commit. I'm gonna get some dumbbells." As he too ignored what Mantis was saying. Poor Mantis just looked down, dejected.

"It's like his muscles are made of Cotati metal fibres" marvelled Gamora as she stroked the larger man's arms.

"I like how you're all ogling this one while the other one over there is very obviously injured." Exclaimed Quill as he gestured over to the very injured man on the other table.

"This one has muscles, the skinny one does not." Came Drax's no-nonsense reply.

"Alright, I've had enough of this. Mantis, wake the muscly one up." Commanded Quill.

Mantis kneeled on the ground next to the man's head and gently commanded him to wake up. Even though Mantis was gentle in her movements, the large man still startled when he was awoken. The man tumbled off of the table he had been placed on and stumbled across the cabin before turning back and looking at all the Guardians.

"Who the hell are you guys?" he grumbled.

"We're the Guardians of the Galaxy. Who the hell are you." Asked Gamora as she surveyed the man.

"I am Thor, King of Asgard… or what's left of it." Spoke Thor looking down in anguish. "My brother was with me when our craft was destroyed, do you know where he is?"

"Is your brother the man currently passed out on that table?" spoke Gamora as she pointed at the figure on the table.

Thor nodded and rushed over to his brother. Loki was beginning to breathe a bit better now that he was safely on a ship and his magic worked to heal his wounds. Thor brushed a stray strand of hair off of Loki's face as he gently tried to wake his brother. Loki woke up with a pained whimper and a complaint about being woken up. Thor just cracked a smile. His brother was alive and he was thankful for the small mercy.

"Loki how are you feeling?" asked Thor as Loki opened his eyes

"Like I got trampled by a heard of bilchsteim." Grumbled the god as he slowly sat up and allowed his brother to hug him. Both brothers were grieving for all they had lost earlier in the day.

"Wait a second." Interjected Gamora, interrupting the moment between brothers, "I recognize you. Didn't Thanos brainwash you and force you to try and take control of Terra a few years back?"

"He did." Frowned Loki as he looked at the Guardians. "And he's sent his little minions back there to do more of his dirty work."

"What the hell happened to you guys?" queried Rocket as he looked at the two brothers.

So Thor and Loki got to explaining what had just happened. How Thanos and the Black Order had boarded their ship filled with Asgardian refugees. How he had killed all but a few who managed to escape. And how Thanos had taken the Space Stone.

"I take it from your comment earlier that you also know Thanos." Spoke Loki as Mantis passed him and Thor some soup.

"The entire time I knew Thanos, he only ever had one goal: To bring balance to the Universe by wiping out half of all life. He used to kill people planet by planet, massacre by massacre..." spoke Gamora gravely. She didn't like talking about the Mad Titan.

"Including my own." Interjected Drax.

"If he gets all six Infinity Stones, he can do it with the snap of his fingers, like this." Gamora snapped her fingers for emphasis.

"You seem to know a great deal about Thanos." Spoke Thor as he choked on a bit of soup.

"Gamora... is the daughter of Thanos." Spoke Drax without a hint of malice.

"Your father killed my people." Thor got up from his seat and began striding angerly towards Gamora while Quill tried to get in between them.

"Oh, boy. Stepfather. Technically, she hates him as much as you do." clarified Quill and Thor's expression softened.

"Families can be tough. Before my father died, he told me I had a half-sister...that he imprisoned in Hel. Then she returned home, and stabbed me in the eye, so... I had to kill her. It's life, isn't it, I guess. Goes round and round and... I feel your pain." Remarked Thor as his brother rolled his eyes. Loki hadn't liked their sister either but was always ready to ridicule his brother on how he presented information.

"And I feel your pain, as well. I mean it's not a competition, but I've been through a lot. My father killed my mother, then I had to kill my father. And that was hard. Probably even harder than having to kill a sister. Plus, I, came out of it with both of my eyes-" spoke Quill as he quickly got away from himself and lost his train of thought.

"So do you have any family left?" asked Mantis as she took a few steps closer

"Well, I've got Loki, the few Asgardians that escaped, plus I have some family back on Earth. A few nieces and nephews"

"Wait, nieces and nephews! Are they your team's kids?" asked Loki. He and Thor hadn't had much time to catch up on things with the whole Ragnarök thing.

"But of course. One is even a hero in his own right. Well, more like two, but Carter is still too young to be fighting." Smiled Thor as he thought about the Avengers and their kids. "I need a hammer, not a spoon…" rambled Thor as he thought up a plan on what to do next. He walked over to the pod on the side of the ship and tried to unlock it. "How do I open this thing? Is there some sort of a four-digit code maybe… Maybe a birth date or something…"

"What are you doing?" panicked Quill one he saw what Thor was up too.

"Taking your pod." Came a nonchalant reply

"No, you're not!" Spoke up Quill as he tried to mimic Thor's accent, "You'll not, be taking our pod today, sir."

"Quill. Are you making your voice deeper?" dead-panned Rocket.

"No…"

"You are. You're imitating the God-man. It's weird." Laughed Drax

"No, I'm not!"

"He just did it again!" gasped Mantis. Loki also let loose a small laugh.

"No, this is my voice!" spoke Quill trying harder and harder to make the accent he was using, pass as his own.

"Are you mocking me?" jeered Thor as he looked Quill dead in the eyes

"Are you mocking me?" mimicked Quill and Loki lost it laughing.

"Stop it. You did it again." Snapped Thor and Loki fell to the floor almost in tears.

"He's trying to copy me." Spoke Quill as he looked at his team who only looked back in confusion and frustration.

"Would you stop doing that? He's doing it first." Complained Thor as he looked at his brother who was now wheezing.

"Enough!" shouted Gamora getting everyone's attention," We need to stop Thanos. Which means we need to find out where he's going next."

"Knowhere." Exclaimed Thor and Loki at the same time.

"He must be going somewhere." Wondered Mantis

"No. Knowhere? It's a place. We've been there. It sucks." Commented Quill as he watched Thor cross the room once more, "Excuse me, that's our food." He exclaimed as he noticed Thor taking food out of their storage unit.

"Not anymore." Spoke the god not paying any mind to the others.

"Thor… Why would he go to Knowhere?" asked Gamora taking a step forward.

"Because for years, the Reality Stone has been safely stored there with a man we call the Collector."

"If it's with the Collector, then it's not safe. Only an idiot would give that man a stone." Argued Quill once again trying to mock Thor.

"Or a genius." Spoke Thor no longer paying attention to Quill's antics.

"How do you know he's not going for one of the other Stones?" asked Gamora as she helped Loki up from where he was still sitting on the floor.

"There are six stones out there. Thanos already has the Power Stone because he stole it last week when he decimated Xandar. He stole the Space Stone from me when he destroyed my ship and slaughtered my people. The Time and Mind Stones are safe on Earth. They're with the Avengers." Clarified Thor as he continued to try and get into the Guardian's pod.

"The Avengers?" asked Quill as he looked quizzically between Thor and Loki.

"They're Earth's Mightiest Heroes." Supplied Loki as he limped his way over to Thor.

"Like Kevin Bacon?" asked Mantis in awe if what she was hearing.

"You mean that actor in that one boring picture that my friends made me watch. Definitely not! Tony and Steve would never allow someone that talentless on the team." Commented Thor as Quill looked more and more offended. "As for the Soul Stone, well, no one's ever seen that. No one even knows where it is. Therefore, Thanos can't get it. Therefore, he's going to Knowhere. Hence, he'll be getting the Reality Stone. You're welcome."

"Then we have to go to Knowhere now." Argued Gamora looking at her team

"Wrong. Where we have to go, is Nivadellir." Smirked Thor.

"That's a made-up word." Shouted Drax as he pointed a finger accusingly at the two brothers.

"All words are made up." Snarked Thor as he handed one of his spare daggers to Loki who had lost his when the Statesman blew up.

"Are you sure that's a good idea brother. Last I'd heard, the forge had gone dark." Asked Loki who was genuinely concerned for his idiot brother's safety.

"I'll be fine. What's the worst that can happen?"

"Nivadellir is real?" exclaimed Rocket as he climbed on the table so he could look the gods in the eye. "Seriously? I mean, that place is a legend. They make the most powerful, horrific weapons to ever torment the Universe. I would very much like to go there, please." Begged the trash panda.

"The rabbit is correct, and clearly the smartest among you." Declared Thor. Loki just rolled his eyes. "Only Eitri the dwarf king can make me the weapon I need." Thor turned to Rocket and smiled. "I assume you're the captain?"

"You're very perceptive." Acknowledged Rocket with a smirk.

"I'm pretty sure you're wrong on that one Thor." Spoke Loki before he was scratched by Rocket in order to get him to shut up.

"You seem like a noble leader." Spoke Thor completely ignoring what Loki had just said. "Will you join me on my quest to Nidavellir?"

"Lemme just ask the captain. Oh, wait a second, it's me! Yeah, I'll go." Snarked Rocket as his team looked back at him angerly.

"Wonderful."

"Look, this is my ship. And I'm not goin' to… whatever the hell that place is called." Yelled Quill before realization hit him. "Wait, what kind of weapon are we talking about here?"

"The Thanos killing kind." Replied Thor as he put meal rations into a backpack.

"Don't you think that we should all have a weapon like that?" queried Quill as he looked expectantly at Thor.

"No. You simply lack the strength to wield them. Your bodies will crumble as your minds collapse into the madness. Only Loki and I would have the strength to wield a weapon made at the forge."

"Is it weird that I wanna do it even more now?" laughed Rocket.

"A little bit. Yeah." Worried Thor. These Guardians were a crazy group that was for sure.

"If we don't go to Knowhere and Thanos retrieves another stone, he'll be too powerful to stop." Pressed Gamora as she tried to take control of the situation.

"He already is." Spoke Loki gravely as he looked between his brother and the Guardians.

"I got it figured out. We got two ships, and a large assortment of morons. So me and Groot will go with the pirate-angel and green bean here, and the morons will go to Knowhere to try and stop Thanos. Cool? Cool." Decided Rocket without consulting the rest of his team.

"So cool." Smiled Thor. The fact that he was smiling in the face of disaster and not sulking like Loki spoke words about his character.

"For the record…" whispered Quill as he knelt down on the floor next to Rocket as he unlocked the pod, "I know that you're only going with him because it's where Thanos isn't."

"You know, Quill, you shouldn't talk that way to your _captain_ , Quill." Snarked Rocket as he made to enter the pod with Thor. "Come on, Groot. Put that game down, you'll rot your brain."

Groot followed Rocket onto the pod, not bothering to look up from his game to give a farewell to the other Guardians. Nobody really reacted that much with the exception of Mantis, who just looked sad.

"I bid you farewell and good luck, morons. Loki are you staying here or coming with me?" asked Thor as he got himself buckled up.

"Thanos thinks I'm dead. We can use that to our advantage. I'll stay here with the Guardians and do some fighting behind the scenes. That way, when I do have to face that bastard again, I'll be ready." Decided Loki as he fiddled with his hands.

"The sun will shine on us again brother." Smiled Thor and the pod took off, leaving Loki and the remaining Guardians to head to Knowhere.

MTHS

It was lightly drizzling outside of the hotel Wanda and Vision were staying at in Scotland. Both were exhausted after the last few months of crazy back at the compound. What with the whole "Tony Stark has clairvoyance" thing and them having to help the poor man get a grasp on his powers, both were more than ready for a little vacation time.

It was nice. They had been exploring Europe for the past couple of weeks, just taking the time to be together and have fun. They went hiking in Spain, wine tasting in France, and they went to some old historical sites in England. Now they were in Scotland and enjoying the things the country had to offer.

It was late at night and Vision was standing by the window while Wanda lazed in bed reading an old book Sam had given her for her birthday. Vision was working on this human glamour that he found he could produce with the help of the Mind Stone. It looked quite real, and Wanda certainly enjoyed it. Vision was just standing there enjoying the view when suddenly his head felt like it was being hit repeatedly with Thor's hammer.

"Vis? Is it the stone again?" worried Wanda as she got up to check on her boyfriend.

"It's as if it's speaking to me." Whispered Vision as he took Wanda's hand in his.

"What does it say?"

"I don't... I don't know. But something..." stammered Vision as the pain started again. Wanda just held his hand until the pain subsided before she stood on her tiptoes to kiss the rest of the pain away.

"Tell me what you feel." Asked Vision.

Wanda gently pressed the fingers of her right hand to the stone. A few quiet sparks of red flew from her fingers as she passed her hand over Vision's forehead. Every movement was done with the utmost care and passion.

"I just feel you." Whispered Wanda before the two shared a chaste kiss.

The two decided to take a walk outside to clear their heads. The rain had stopped and the pavement shimmered with cold pools of water. The air was crisp but the lights of the city shone brightly. Wanda and Vision laughed and talked about the small things in life as they made their way down damp streets by the light of the moon.

They made their way past a small kebab shop on the corner near an ally. The window was covered in posters which caught Visions attention. Wanda, on the other hand, was drawn to the small television in the corner. On the screen, the reporter was showing footage from back in New York. Tony, Steve, Dr. Banner, and two other men in strange tunics were fighting beings which were obviously not of this world. The footage ended with the report that Tony Stark was missing after the fight. Wanda was shocked.

"Vis… did you turn off your communicator?" questioned Wanda as she tried to get Vision's attention.

"I did. Why?" spoke Vision who was not paying attention to the TV in the shop.

"You may want to turn it on."

Vision got out his communicator and turned it on. He was instantly met with the blaring message of CODE RED flashing at him. Code Red was what they had given the name to any of Tony's visions coming true. If this was the case, they were in deep shit.

"It's a Code Red. We have to go back. If Tony is missing and we've got this message we need to go back!" pressed Vision as he and Wanda started to run back to the hotel. Getting back to the States and meeting up with the rest of the Avengers was now their number one priority.

The two heroes were just turning around to run back to the hotel when lanky elf-like being appeared behind them and stabbed Vision through the torso ruining his glamour and causing him to shout in pain as he was thrown across the street.

"Vision!" Cried out Wanda as she spun around and came face to face with another creature, this one female and with intricate blue horns coming off of her face. Wanda gathered up some energy to launch a counter-attack but before she could do anything, she was flung through a store window by a blast from Proxima Midnight's staff.

As Wanda got up from where she landed she could hear Vision screaming in agony as Corvus Glaive used a pointed device to try and remove the Mind Stone from his head. Wanda took the intruders momentary distraction to commit her own surprise attack. She used a large blast of energy to send the two aliens flying through the street while Wanda grabbed Vision and flew off to a deserted alleyway.

"The blade. It stopped me from phasing." Cringed Vision gripping his side.

"Is that even possible?"

"It isn't supposed to be. My systems are failing. I'm beginning to think... we should have stayed in bed." Gasped Vision as Wanda tried to heal his wound.

Just then Corvus arrived in the alley. He used his spear to push Wanda out of the way and grab Vision. He took off, knocking Vision into several walls in the process. That left Wanda to engage Proxima Midnight on her own. Both Avenger were fighting for their lives.

With Vision working harder and harder to deflect the blows brought down on his body, he took every opening he could get. After pushing Corvus away from him, Vision harnessed the power of the Mind Stone and sent a beam right for the intruder. Corvus used his staff to deflect the bean down onto the street below. The bean sliced through the ancient stones of the street like a hot knife through butter. Vison kept sending beams of energy at his attacker until one ricocheted off the staff and hit Vision in the chest.

Back on the ground, Wanda was going everything in her power to stay standing. She blocked another blow from Proxima's energy staff before she heard Vision cry out in agony. She quickly threw Proxima off of her before flying away to the top of the building Vision was on only to see her boyfriend pinned down once again with Corvus trying to steal the Mind Stone.

"Hands off." Shouted Wanda before she shot a blast of energy throwing Corvus off of Vision. The two started to fly away but were knocked down by a blast that sent them falling into the train station down below. Vision managed to get himself propped up on one of the guard rails by was in so much pain that he couldn't do much else.

"Come on. Come on. Come on, you gotta get up. You gotta get up. Come on. Hey. Hey. We have to go." Urged Wanda as she tried desperately to help Vision to his feet.

"Please. Please leave." Huffed Vision as he pushed Wanda off of him.

"I'm not leaving you to die."

"Please." Pleaded Vision.

"Get up!" Wanda tried once again to help Vision up before she noticed that the two aliens had cornered them in the train station. Wanda moved to stand protectively in front of Vision, gathering as much energy as she could in her hands.

Just as Proxima was about to launch another attack, a train passed behind Wanda. Proxima's head tilted when she noticed a figure on the other side of the platform. The train was moving too fast for her to see clearly who it was.

As soon as the train cleared, Proxima threw her staff at the figure in order to kill it. She didn't want anyone interfering with this mission. Just as she through that her staff was going to pierce the skin of whoever she through it at, the staff was caught. The figure stood there for a second before lowering their hand and stepping into the light.

Wanda turned around to see who had caught the staff and was surprised to see that it was none other than their fearless captain, Steven Stark, in full uniform, and he looked absolutely pissed. As Steve began to run forward to attack the intruders, Sam flew in from above and kicked Proxima clear across the platform before firing a few rounds at Corvus, wounding the latter.

Steve threw the staff to Natasha, who had dropped down just after Sam. She used the staff to stab Corvus in the gut, sending him sprawling to the ground in pain. Proxima had entered the fight again but this time her attention was not on Vision and the Mind Stone. No, her attention was on Steve and the others for interrupting her work. Try as she might, she never got a hit in. Steve was throwing his shield directly at her face, Sam was shooting with pinpoint accuracy, and Natasha was electrocuting her with her widow bites. Proxima was thrown back and stunned. Once she regained herself, she scuttled over to Corvus who was bleeding out on the ground.

"Get up." Proxima commanded Corvus,

"I can't." came the pained reply

"We don't wanna kill you. But we will." Spoke Natasha coolly as she stared down the aliens.

"You'll never get the chance again." Spat out Proxima as a blue light engulfed them and she and Corvus were beamed back up to their ship.

"Can you stand?" asked Sam as she walked over and took Vision's hand. Vision nodded and allowed Sam to help him up.

"Let's get you on the jet." Spoke Steve as he and the others briskly made their way back onto the quinjet.

"I'm so sorry about what happened Steve." Spoke Wanda once they had taken off and were on their way back to the compound.

"It's just not Tony who's missing." Whispered Steve as a tear rolled down his cheek. "Peter never came down form that ship, so that means he's up there with Tony. My husband and son are up there, so I'm going to do everything in my power to get them back down."

MTHS

 _There was screaming and crying outside of the little hut where Gamora and her mother were hiding. She could hear shots being fired from weapons as the people of her planet fell to the ground, dead. Gamora's mother placed a hand over her mouth, trying in vain to keep the child quiet._

" _Shhh. We'll be safe. We'll be safe." She whispered to the child as she tucked her closer._

 _At that moment an explosion went off close by causing the hut to shake and crumble a bit. Little Gamora screamed on reflex, causing their hiding spot to be revealed. A soldier crashed through the door and grabbed Gamora and her mother and pushed them outside. In the sky Chitauri Leviathans and ring-ships rained shots down from above, killing those who were uncooperative._

" _Mother! Where's my mother?!" shouted Gamora as they become separated. "MOTHER!" she shouted louder as she punched the soldier dragging her. The soldier let go and Gamora was left wandering around on her own. She turned around and came face to face with a large purple man dressed in golden armour._

" _What's wrong, little one?" asked the man as he knelt down to get closer to Gamora's height._

" _My mother. Where is my mother?" asked Gamora trying to keep her voice calm and collected._

" _What's your name?" the giant asked Gamora with a slight smile._

" _Gamora. What's yours?"_

" _My name is Thanos." Smiled the giant, "You're quite the fighter, Gamora. Come. Let me help you."_

 _Thanos offered his hand out for Gamora to take. She hesitated for a second before placing her tiny hand in the giants and walking off with him over to the town's central pavilion. Thanos knelt down on the ground again and pulled a silver and ruby switchblade and balanced it on his finger._

 _"Look. Pretty, isn't it? Perfectly balanced. As all things should be. Too much to one side, or the other…" Thanos tilted it too far purposely and caught it, holding the blade out to Gamora. "Here. You try."_

 _Gamora tried to turn her head to see why there was so much screaming going on behind her, but Thanos turned her attention back to trying to balance the blade. Gamora smiled as Thanos praised her for her being able to balance it, blissfully unaware that half of her people had been slaughtered behind her._

"Gamora. Do you know if these grenades are the "blow off your junk" kind or the gas kind? 'Cause I was thinking I might hang a couple on my belt right here. But I don't want to-"

Gamora was ripped from her memory by the annoying voice of her boyfriend coming from behind her. She turned around saw Quill tossing a few grenades between his hands. She looked at him and he at her with so much fear and love, Gamora knew what she needed to do.

"I need to ask a favour." Spoke Gamora as Quill walked closer.

"Yeah, sure."

"One way or another, the path that we're on leads to Thanos." Spoke Gamora seriously taking Quill's hand in hers.

"Which is what the grenades are for." Smiled Quill before Gamora shut him up with a look. "I'm sorry. What's the favour?"

"If things go wrong… If Thanos gets me… I want you to promise me… you'll kill me."

"What?" responded Quill raising his eyebrows in confusion.

"He thinks I know something he doesn't." confided Gamora as she looked down at their joined hands.

"What does he think you know?" inquired Quill

"The location of the Soul Stone." Was all Quill got as a response.

"The Soul Stone. Now that's not something I've heard of in a long time." Came a reply from the doorway. Loki was just standing there with his arms crossed and a smug look on his face.

"Do you know where it is?" Theorized Quill as he turned to look at the black haired god.

"I do not, but I do have some information. During my travels, I heard tales of the stone. Legend has it that the stone is sentient. That it attaches itself to whatever being it deems worthy to wield its power. But of course, this is only a tale passed down through time." Smirked the god as he limped off to sit down.

"So…" stumbled Quill before he regained his train of thought. "So, if you have no idea where the stone is then why is Thanos catching you so bad. I know you Gamora, you can get out of anything." Argued Quill

"Just swear to me, please. Just swear to me. Swear to me. Swear to me on your mother." Pleaded Gamora

"Okay." Whispered Quill as he lent in for a kiss.

The two lovers stood there kissing for a moment. Just taking the little time they had left before arriving at Knowhere. The revelled in their love before they were rudely interrupted by a loud, obnoxious crunching sound. They turned around and were met with the sight of Drax standing in the corner watching them.

"Dude! How long have you been standing there?" complained Quill.

"An hour." Replied Drax not moving from his spot.

"An hour? Are you serious?" shouted Quill as he threw his hands up in frustration.

"I've mastered the ability of standing so incredibly still... that I become invisible to the eye. Watch." Drax stood completely motionless except for his breathing and, slowly but surely, he brought a hand up to take a bite of his snack.

"You're eating a zarg-nut." Grumbled Quill.

"But my movement... was so slow... that it's imperceptible."

"Mmm, no." Quill and Gamora just shook their heads at their teammate's actions. They were further supported by Mantis walking in and spotting Drax right away.

Everyone left on the Milano made their way back to the flight deck as they made their descent into Knowhere. There were no lights on and even with the ship's air flitter, there was still the smell of smoke and decay.

"This place looks deserted." Whispered Quill as they pulled their ship onto a docking bay.

"I'm reading movement from the third quadrant." Spoked Drax looking over his console.

"Yep. I'm picking that up, too. Let's go Guardians." Spoke Quill as everyone got ready to disembark. "Greasy god boy, what are you going to do? You're still to roughed up to do much."

Loki looked completely offended at being called "greasy god boy", but still had the decency to reply. Now was not the time to be picking petty squabbles.

"I'm going to disguise myself and stick to the shadows. Thanos thinks I'm dead. I'd like to keep it that way." Spoke the god as he joined the rest of the Guardians in leaving the ship.

The four Guardians plus Loki left the ship and snuck their way into the Collector's collection room. The room itself was in ruins. The whole place was covered in smoke and dust but none of them could see any fire. As they all hid behind piles of rubble, they saw as Thanos stood with one foot on The Collector as he threatened the man.

"I don't have it." Gasped out The Collector as he struggled beneath the Mad Titan.

"Everyone in the Galaxy knows you'd sell your own brother if you thought it would add the slightest trinket to your pathetic collection." Sneered Thanos as he pressed his foot down harder on the poor man's chest.

The Guardians and Loki crept forward getting closer to Thanos. Quill held up his hand in order to get his companions to halt. All of them kept moving, including Loki who kept himself shrouded in shadows.

"I know you have the Reality Stone, Tivan. Giving it to me will spare you a great deal of suffering." Growled Thanos as he leaned in closer.

Thanos kept taunting the collector as the Guardians crept closer and closer using the fallen pipes and ceiling as cover. Loki ran quickly to Gamora's side with a small round object in his hand.

"I couldn't help but overhear the conversation you had earlier with that Star Boy of yours." Whispered Loki as he pressed the object into Gamora's hand. "So, I've thought of a solution. If you do indeed get captured by Thanos all you need to do is hold this over your heart and it will create an illusion of yourself so that you can get away." Smirked the god as The Collector's screams could be heard in the background.

Gamora looked down at the object. It was about the size of a bottle cap and a muted bronze in colour. The edges were ribbed and on both sides were the image of an ornate sun.

"Why are you giving this to me?" asked Gamora as she looked between Loki and the rest of her team.

"Look, we were both used and abused by Thanos. If we all work together, maybe we can strike him dead." Smiled Loki sadly. The two shared a look of knowing and ran off to join the rest of the Guardians, who were having a hard time containing Drax.

"Today..." grumbled Drax as he made to run forward.

"Drax. Drax." Cautioned Quill

"...he pays for the deaths of my wife and daughter." Finished Drax as he drew one of his long daggers.

"Drax, waaaaait! Not yet, not yet, not yet." Panicked Quill, "Drax, Drax, Drax. He doesn't have the Stone yet. We get it, and then we can stop him. We have to get the Stone first. Yeah."

"No. No. For Ovette. For Camaria." Drax started to move forward but Mantis was quick to touch him gently on the head to send the warrior off to sleep. What they didn't account for was Drax dropping like a rock and landing on the floor with a resounding thud. Everyone ducked behind debris in the hopes that Thanos didn't see them.

At this point they all knew that Thanos knew he wasn't alone here. The Titan tossed The Collector into one of his collection cases and began looking around for the source of the noise. They had to attack now or they would lose the element of surprise.

"Okay. Gamora, Mantis, you go right. I'm..." commanded Quill but neither seemed to listen to him as Gamora kept moving forward towards Thanos. "The other right!" he huffed in frustration.

It was when Thanos was turned around that Gamora took the opportunity to attack. She leapt at Thanos from her hiding spot and stabbed the end of her sword into his neck. With her other hand, Gamora stabbed Thanos in the chest with the red jewelled dagger that he had given her as a child.

"Why?" rasped Thanos as he fell to the ground in a pool of his own blood. "Why you? Daughter…" Thanos completely collapsed, one of his much larger hands reaching out for Gamora's as the light drained from his eyes. Gamora looked at the sight in front of her and started sobbing both in relief and in loss.

"That was quick." Commented Quill as he and the other Guardians moved forward. Loki stayed hidden In the shadows, sensing a trick. Suddenly, Thanos' deep, booming voice filled the room.

"Is it sadness I sense in you, daughter? In my heart, I knew you still cared. But one never knows for sure. Reality is often disappointing."

Suddenly, the whole room changed. Where there was once just debris, there was raging fire and ash. Everything was different. The bloodied body of Thanos was no longer on the ground. The air was thick with the smell of decay like every living thing on Knowhere had been dead for a while or burnt to a crisp.

"That is, it was. Now… Reality can be whatever I want." Spoke the voice again.

Thanos then appeared in a haze of red flaunting the Reality Stone on one of the knuckles of his gauntlet. He was completely unharmed and looking all too smug.

"You knew I'd come." Cried Gamora as she looked at Thanos.

"I counted on it. There's something we need to discuss, little one." Spoke Thanos as he reached out and grabbed Gamora and held her to his chest.

"Thanos!" screamed Drax as he charged forward, only for himself and Mantis to be disassembled by the Reality Stone. Drax fell apart into cubes while Mantis became nothing but a delicate ribbon version of herself.

"Let her go, Grimace!" shouted Quill, his blaster raised at Thanos.

"Peter…" pleaded Gamora

"I told you to go right." Whispered Quill as he looked at Gamora before turning his gaze up to the Mad Titan. "You let her go!"

"Ah, the boyfriend." Commented Thanos like a father scrutinizing his daughter's suitors.

"I like to think of myself more as a Titan-killing long-term booty call. Let her go."

"Peter…" pleaded Gamora once more but it was lost on deaf ears.

"Or I'm gonna blow that nutsack of a chin right off your face!" Quill was shouting in anger and pain. He just wanted all of this to be over.

"Not him." Whispered Gamora and Quill hesitated before pulling the trigger. "You promised! You promised." She swore and Quill looked like he was about to cry.

"Oh, daughter. You expect too much from him." Cooed Thanos. He caressed her shoulder before turning his attention to Quill. "She's asked, hasn't she? Do it." And that was when Thanos shoved Gamora right at the end of Quill's blaster, "Do it!"

"I told you to go right." Said Quill and a lone tear rolled down his face.

"I love you, more than anything." Smiled Gamora as she looked into her boyfriend's eyes.

"I love you, too." Whispered Quill as he closed his eyes and pulled the trigger.

But nothing happened.

The only thing to come out of the blaster was a stream of multicoloured bubbles. It was like one of those toys they give to children at the fair. Everyone was surprised. Everyone except Thanos who only smiled at the situation.

"I like you." Smirked Thanos before he readjusted his grip on Gamora and used the Space Stone to create a portal and leave.

Everyone left was in shock. Drax and Mantis were eventually able to pick themselves up and get back together while Quill just stood there, looking longingly at the spot where Gamora once stood.

"So what do we do now?" asked Mantis as she and Drax helped drag a mopey Quill back to the ship. Loki met up with them, his breathing a bit laboured and his limp a little worse due to all the running he did.

"We wait." Was the only advice Loki had.

MTHS

When Steve and the others arrived back at the compound, the rest of the Avengers were waiting for them in the conference room. Steve helped Vision sit down with the others before he walked over to Rhodey who embraced him in a hug.

"I just got off the call with the UN. We've got the all clear to work globally. All world leaders have been notified and are ready to evacuate citizens if they need too." Reported Rhodey.

"What did they have to say about Tony?" asked Nat as she sat down awkwardly next to Bruce.

"They didn't." cringed Rhodey as he thought about his little brother and nephew trapped in space.

"THEY DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING!" shouted Steve as he looked frantically around the room. "EARTH'S JUST LOST HER BEST DEFENDER! I'VE JUST LOST MY HUSBAND… AND THEY SAY NOTHING!" Steve was borderline crying and Bucky had to stand up and restrain his best friend to help stave off the coming panic attack.

"We need to figure out what our next move is going to be." Spoke Hope from her spot beside Scott.

"I think it's almost guaranteed that those things are coming back, right." Spoke up Sam who was looking a little worse for wear after the fight and long jet ride home.

"You said over the coms that they were after the Mind Stone. So, why don't we find a way to destroy it." Queried Clint as he got up so that Steve could take his seat.

"Thanos has the biggest army in the universe. He's not going to stop until he has that stone. We can't let him get it." Pressed Bruce as he surveyed the room. There were some confused faces so Bruce continued. "Thanos is trying to gather all six infinity stones so they he can wipe out HALF of all life in the universe. He already has two, maybe three at this point. We can not let him get another."

"So we protect this one." Spoke Natasha like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"No, we have to destroy it." Interjected Vision from his slumped position in his chair. His side was still damaged and he appeared to be in considerable pain. "I've been giving a good deal of thought to this entity in my head, about its nature. But also, it's composition. I think if it were exposed to a sufficiently powerful energy source, something, very similar to its own signature, perhaps… Its molecular integrity could fail." Bruce, Rhodey, and Scott instantly knew what he was talking about.

"'And you, with it. We're not having this conversation." Argued Wanda as she got up from her seat in anger.

"Eliminating the stone is the only way to be certain that Thanos can't get it." Retaliated Vision still emanating an aura of calm.

"That's too high a price!" Wanda cried as Vision took one of her hands in his.

"Only you have the power to pay it. Thanos threatens half the Universe. One life cannot stand in the way of defeating him."

"But it should." Interrupted Steve now just a little bit calmer. "We don't trade lives, Vision."

"Captain, 70 years ago, you laid down your life to save how many millions of people. Tell me, why is this any different?"

Steve was about to say something about how Vision was family and that family protects each other, but he was interrupted by Bruce.

"Because _you_ might have a choice. Your mind is made up of a complex construct of overlays. JARVIS, Ultron, Tony, me, the Stone. All of them mixed together. All of them learning from one another."

"You're saying Vision isn't just the stone?" questioned Wanda holding Vision's hand tighter.

"I'm saying that if we take out the stone, there's still a whole lot of Vision left. Perhaps the best parts." Commented Bruce as the rest of the room looked at him, everyone full of questions.

"Can we do that?" asked Natasha looking at Bruce and awkwardly brushing her hand over his.

"Not me. Not here." Grimaced Bruce as he looked down at his hands.

"Then we need to get Vision to someone who can and quickly" panicked Clint, his hands shaking a bit.

Everyone in the room looked around for a second, searching for answers. It was Steve who finally thought of an idea.

"Shuri!" he exclaimed, "Shuri would have the tech and knowhow to be able to do something!"

"Well then, I guess it's time to call up our friends in Wakanda." Smirked Bucky. He'd been to Wakanda about a year ago because Shuri wanted to study the nerve connections in the arm Tony made him. He liked the spunky little scientist who also happened to be one of Peter's best friends.

After Steve gave a heartfelt goodbye to Carter filled with tears and kisses, as well as Clint and Scott saying goodbye to their kids, the Avengers were off in the jet on their way to Wakanda.

MTHS

Tony looked down from his hiding place on one of the landings on the ship. He could see Maw interrogating Strange. The man in question was floating horizontally on his stomach, his body surrounded by long crystalline needled just centimetres from his skin. Tony couldn't hear what Maw was saying, but he could hear Strange's screams as the needles pierced his skin.

Just as Strange's screams tapered off a bit, Tony felt something slap his left arm. Spinning around in panic, Tony raised his gauntlet and got ready to fire only to be met by the sight of The Cloak of Levitation.

"Wow you're a seriously loyal piece of outerwear, aren't you?" asked Tony. The cloak just stared back in silence.

"Yeah, uh, speaking of loyalty..." came a very familiar voice from behind Tony.

Tony whipped around and was met with the sight of his eldest son Peter dropping down from the rafters.

"What the-" stammered Tony as he looked at his son as he stood in the one place he didn't want him to be.

"I know what you're gonna say." Panicked Peter as he held his hands up.

"Peter Benjamin Parker-Stark you are grounded for life!" seethed Tony as the cloak floated next to him.

"I was gonna go home-" Peter began to argue.

"I don't wanna hear it." Snapped Tony.

"But it was such a long way down and I just thought about you on the way-"

"And now I gotta hear it." Grumbled Tony as Peter kept talking.

"...And I kinda stuck to the side of the ship. And this suit is ridiculously intuitive, by the way. So if anything, it's kinda your fault that I'm here." Finished Peter. Even the cloak looked shocked at Peter's statement.

"What did you just say?" Spoke Tony gravely. He had never been _this_ mad at one of his kids before. Peter was going to be in so much trouble when they figured out how to get home.

"I take that back." Rushed Peter as he looked at the anger in his Dad's eyes. "And now I'm here in space."

"Yeah. Right where I don't want you to be. This isn't Coney Island. This isn't a field trip. It's a one-way ticket. You hear me? Don't pretend like you thought this through. You could not have possibly thought this through." Spat Tony. He needed for his son to understand how serious this was.

"No. I did think this through." Mumbled Peter as he looked down at his hands.

"You could not have possibly thought this through."

"It's just- You can't be a friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man when there's no neighbourhood." Tony just looked at Peter but didn't respond, "Okay. That didn't really make any sense, but you know what I'm trying to say."

Tony let out a shaky breath and evaluated the situation. Peter was here on this ship whether Tony wanted him here or not. All he could do now was try his best to keep Peter out of the worst of any fighting that was bound to happen.

"Come on. We got a situation., but don't think you're getting out of trouble this easily. You do what I say, when I say it. Got it?" Peter nodded and Tony lead him over to where he was standing before. "See him down there? He's in trouble. What's your plan? Go."

"Um. Okay, okay...uh..." Peter looked down at the scene below and looked at his options. Like a light bulb went off, Peter sat bolt upright and turned to his Dad. "Okay. Did you ever see this really old movie, _Aliens_?"

"Peter I was five when that movie came out. It's not that old." Huffed out Tony as he shook his head.

From there the father-son duo set about working on their plan. They decided that Tony would be doing all the fighting. Peter was just there to catch Strange if things went horribly wrong. Once that was decided, Tony had Peter hide nearby while He went to go confront Ebony Maw.

"Painful aren't they?" came Maw's voice as it echoed around the space. "They were originally designed for microsurgery. And any one of them..." Maw was interrupted by Tony landing behind him with his repulsors raised. "...could end your friend's life in an instant."

"I gotta tell you, he's not really my friend. Saving his life is more a professional courtesy." Snarked Tony. He was still a little angry about his son sneaking onto the ship.

Maw walked slowly over towards where Tony was standing, becoming large pieces of loose metal to float around him like a tornado. "You've saved nothing. Your powers are inconsequential compared to mine."

"Yeah, but the kid's seen more movies." Quipped Tony before firing a rocket at an exterior wall of the ship causing it to blast open and the atmosphere of the ship to be sucked out.

Maw was blasted out into space, unable to grab anything to save himself. It didn't take long before he was frozen to death in the blackness of space. Strange was also pulled loose from his pinnings as the needles were sucked out into the vacuum of space. Unfortunately, with nothing holding him in place, he too went flying towards the hole in the wall. The cloak wrapped itself around Strange's right arm to try and create an anchor point. The force of the vacuum was to much and the cloaks grip faltered as Strange continued to be pulled outwards towards space.

Now that Maw was out of the way Peter jumped into action. The young hero swung forward and shot a web stand at Strange in order to save the sorcerer. The force of the vacuum continued to pull Strange, and now Peter, with it. But, at the last second, four golden leg-like appendages sprung forth from Peter's new suit and anchored them to the ship.

"Yes!" shouted Peter as he began to pull Strange to safety, "Wait what are those!"

Peter didn't have time to ask any more questions as he took the opportunity to use the new appendages to fling himself and Strange back into the safety of the ship. Tony then flew towards the opening and sprayed it closed with nanites, creating an airtight seal. Once that was done, Tony decided that it was safe now to retract the Bleeding Edge Armour back into it's casing. Strange also took the opportunity to stand up from where he had landed.

"We've gotta turn this ship around." Was all Strange said once he stood up and walked over towards Tony. Peter was close by talking to the cloak.

"Yeah. Now he wants to run. Great plan." Grumbled Tony refusing to look at Strange.

"No, I want to protect the stone." Argued back Strange.

"And I want you to thank me now. Go ahead, I'm listening." Spoke Tony irritably. He was anxious and not in a good mood.

"For what? Nearly blasting me into space?" retaliated the doctor.

"Who just saved your magical ass? Me." Spat Tony. His eyes were starting to look just a little bit glassy and unfocused.

"I seriously don't know how you fit your head into that helmet." Spoke Strange, completely ignoring the fact that something was starting to go wrong with Tony.

"Admit it. You should have ducked out when I told you to. I tried to bench you. You refused." Spat Tony, his voice wavering just a bit.

"Unlike everyone else in your life, I don't work for you."

"Nobody works for me. I work with others on a TEAM Dr. Dipshit. And If you had just listened to Steve and me before we wouldn't now be on a flying doughnut billions of miles away from Earth with no backup." Ranted Tony, his hands starting to shake a bit.

"I'm back up." Interrupted Peter from his place off to the side.

"No. You're a stowaway. The adults are talking." Scolded Tony. Peter just shut his mouth and watched.

"I'm sorry, I'm confused as to the relationship here. What is he, your ward?" asked Strange as he gestured towards Peter.

"No, I'm his son. I'm Peter, by the way." Peter stuck out his hand for Strange to shake but the sorcerer just looked at him.

"Doctor Strange." The sorcerer introduced himself.

"Oh, we're using our made-up names. Um... I'm Spider-Man, then." Said Peter completely seriously. Strange only sighed and turned back to Tony.

"This ship is self-correcting its course. Thing's on autopilot." Tony's breathing was just a little more ragged.

"Can we control it? Fly us home?" asked Strange. Tony didn't respond. "Stark, are you even listening to me?"

Tony couldn't really respond. His mind was half in the past, reliving that moment when he thought he was going to die alone in space with a broken reactor and closing portal. The other half was in the future, knowing that Thanos was out there and wanted to hurt Tony and his family.

"Great, just great. I fucking hate space. I've already been to space once. I didn't enjoy it the first time so why the HELL am I back here?! I can't even watch Star Wars anymore with my family. I fucking hate space." mumbled Tony under his breath as he tried to get his emotions under control. Now was not the time to have a breakdown.

"Stark?" asked Strange. Tony still didn't answer so he walked over to Peter. "What's wrong with your dad?"

"Well he was angry with me before for sneaking onto the ship, but now I think he's about to have a panic attack." Strange's eyes widened. He used to be a doctor. How had he missed the signs that Tony wasn't doing ok?!"

Peter walked over to his Dad and wrapped him in a hug and made sure that he was facing away from the window.

"Dad! Dad, it's ok. I'm safe and alive. I won't let space hurt you." Spoke Peter as he tried to calm down his Dad. He'd seen Steve do this dozens of times over the past few years. It wasn't easy. Peter knew that his parents suffered from mental illness due to all the stuff they'd been through. It just made the teen sad that he couldn't help them to the best of his ability.

"I can't let you get hurt Peter. I can't let all the things you love get ruined. I have to protect you, Peter." Whispered Tony.

The two stood there hugging for a few moments, Peter trying to sooth his Dad, Tony trying to protect his son."

"You feeling better Stark? Asked Strange once he saw that Tony wasn't breathing as hard.

"Yeah. I'll be ok. It's just a touch of PTSD. I'll pull through." Joked Tony with a bit of a grimace. Strange knew he should inquire further but chose not to.

"Can you get us home?" Asked Strange. Tony paused for a second.

"...I'm not so sure we should."

"Under no circumstance can we bring the Time Stone to Thanos. I don't think you quite understand what's at stake here." Pressed Strange as he stared down his unlikely companion.

"No. It's _you_ who doesn't understand," cried out Tony, "that Thanos has been inside my head for _six years_ since he sent an army to New York and now he's _back!_ And I don't know what to do. So I'm not so _sure_ if it's a better plan to fight him on out turf or his but you saw what they did, what they can do. At least on his turf, he's not expecting it. So _I_ say we take the fight to him. _Doctor_. Do you concur?" argued Tony. He hoped he'd gotten his point across.

Strange paused for a moment to think about what Tony had just said. It made sense and it also kept the people of Earth safe from any Thanos type attack to get the Time Stone.

"Alright, Stark. We go to him. But you have to understand... if it comes to saving you or the kid or the Time Stone... I will not hesitate to let either of you die. I can't because the fate of the universe depends on it."

Tony and Strange shared a look before Strange and the cloak stalked off to do some quick meditation, leaving Tony and Peter standing together on the bridge of the ship.

"Awe Man, your Papa's going to kill me for this." Tony stepped forward and tapped each of Peter's shoulders with the edge of his hand as if it were a sword, dubbing him as if he were a knight. "Alright, kid. You're an Avenger now."

Peter just looked up at his Dad. The kid's face was full of delight. He'd wanted to become an official Avenger for a long time and now he was one! Peter smiled until the implications hit him. He was now an Avenger because they were the only ones there to do any avenging.

Tony hugged his son and silently vowed that he would do everything in his power to keep his kid safe while also silently hoping that his youngest son and husband were safe back on Earth.

MTHS

Gamora was sitting down on the large, formidable steps leading up to Thanos' throne staring out over the ship. She was filled with so much anger over the fact that Thanos had captured her. She didn't ask for this. She didn't ask for any of this. She bolted upright and stood off to the side as she saw Thanos approaching. In his hands he held a metal bowl and spoon. The contents of the bowl were steaming and smelt delicious.

"I thought you might be hungry." Spoke the titan as he held out the food in an offering. Gamora took it and threw it against the wall. She didn't need his pity.

"I always hated that chair." Grumbled Gamora as Thanos walked closer to her.

"So I've been told." Replied the Titan, "Even so. I'd hoped you'd sit on it one day."

"I hated this room. This ship. I hated my life." Spoke Gamora truthfully.

"You told me that too." Spoke Thanos as he took a seat in the steps leading to his throne. "Every day. For almost twenty years."

"I was a child when you took me." Spat Gamora, refusing to look Thanos in the eye.

"I saved you."

"No. No. We were happy on my home planet." Gamora was fuming. She hated this so much. All she ever wanted was freedom, yet she was always a prisoner of Thanos.

"Going to bed hungry, scrounging for scraps. Your planet was on the brink of collapse. I'm the one who stopped that. Do you know what's happened since then? The children born have known nothing but full bellies and clear skies. It's a paradise." Spoke Thanos in the same tone a prophet would his flock.

"Because you murdered half the planet."

"A small price to pay for salvation." Thanos was acting too calm and sombre for what he was talking about.

"You're insane." Shouted Gamora as she walked just a little bit closer to the man who called himself her father.

"Little one, it's a simple calculus. This universe is finite, its resources finite. If life is left unchecked, life will cease to exist. It needs correction." Explained Thanos as if he were talking to a small child.

"You don't know that!" Gamora was screaming. How could Thanos talk about genocide with such nonchalance?

"I'm the only one who knows that. At least, I'm the only one with the will to act on it." Thanos stood up and walked towards Gamora. She just stood there and held all the fire she had in her eyes. "For a time... you had that same will... as you fought by my side. Daughter."

"I'm not your daughter. Everything I hate about myself you taught me." She looked up at Thanos as tried to make him understand just how much she hated him.

"And in doing so, made you the fiercest woman in the galaxy. That's why I trusted you to find the Soul Stone." Gamora just held her ground. She really didn't know where the stone was.

"I'm sorry I disappointed you." Was the only reply she gave.

"I am disappointed. But not because you didn't find it." Thanos knelt down and continued to talk to Gamora as if she were a little kid again. "But because you did. And you _lied_."

Thanos proceeded to grab Gamora's arm and literally drag her down the winding corridors of the ship. Gamora struggled the whole time. They ended up in front of a plain metal door held closed by a keypad system. Thanos punched in a code that Gamora wasn't able to see because his hands were to big to see what was being typed.

When they entered the room Gamora felt sick to her stomach at what she saw. Her sister Nebula was suspended in mid-air. All of Nebula's cybernetic components were separated from her body and held on they the tiniest bits of wire connected to nerve endings. She was breathing heavily and shuddering in what must be excruciating pain. Gamora hurried over to her side the second Thanos let go of her arm.

"Don't do this." Whispered Gamora not taking her eyes off her sister.

"Some time ago, your sister snuck aboard this ship to kill me." Taunted Thanos. He was always one for playing favourites.

"Please don't do this." Pleaded Gamora. She couldn't stand to see her sister like that.

"And very nearly succeeded. So I brought her here. To talk." Continued Thanos, completely ignoring Gamora.

Thanos chose that moment to activate both the Power and Space Stones on his gauntlet. He smiled as the extended components in Nebula's body stretched even further away, pulling the nerve endings so far that they were about to snap. Nebula screamed out in agony and Thanos only smiled brighter.

"Stop. Stop it." Cried Gamora as she put her hand on the gauntlet. Thanos stopped what he was doing and the pieces if Nebula's body fell back into the same suspended state that they were in what Gamora had first entered the room. "I swear to you on my life. I never found the Soul Stone."

Thanos looked between both of his "daughters" and then motioned to one of the guards in the room to hit something on the control panel in the corner of the room. A voice that said "accessing memory files" spoke and a projection of Gamora played out of Nebula's right eye.

" _You know what he's about to do. He's finally ready, and he's going for the stones. All of them."_ Pressed memory Nebula.

" _He can never get them all."_ Argued memory Gamora

" _He will!"_ yelled memory Nebula, her voice laced with thinly concealed fear.

" _He can't, Nebula. Because I found a map that he thinks is the one to the Soul Stone and I burnt it to ash. I burnt it. He can't have it."_ whispered memory Gamora with a pleased smile on her face.

The memory ended and Gamora looked down at the ground. This was what she was afraid of. The fact that Thanos took her finding a map to a stone that wasn't there but believed that she lied about that. Thanos walked behind Gamora and put his arms in front of her.

"You're strong. Me. You're generous. Me. But I never taught you to lie. That's why you're so _bad_ at it." Thanos believed Gamora was lying. He truly was bad at reading others. "Where is the Soul Stone?"

Thanos raised the gauntlet next to Gamora's face. Gamora looked over at her sister who was shaking her head, trying to force Gamora to keep her silence. When neither sister replied, Thanos once again used the Power and Space Stones to pull Nebula apart to the point of pure agony. Just like Loki earlier, Gamora couldn't handle the screams. It made her sick to her stomach to see someone she loved so much be in so much pain. She had to think of a believable lie and fast so that Nebula would be spared any more pain.

"Vormir!" Gamora finally shouted and Thanos released Nebula from the power of the stones. Gamora walked over and caressed her sister's face before talking again. "The Stone is on Vormir."

"Show me." Spoke Thanos as he grabbed Gamora's arm again and began to drag her away from her sister.

Gamora knew that if she let Thanos take her to Vormir it would mean certain death. The second he found out she was lying… Gamora just knew it wouldn't end well for her. Thanos kept pulling her along and Gamora kept struggling.

That was when she remembered the little coin that Loki gave her back on Knowhere.

Gamora fumbled it out of her pocket and held it over her heart as Loki instructed. In a matter of seconds, Gamora was ducking into a hidden alcove while Thanos dragged her double through a portal to Vormir. It worked! Gamora would have to thank Loki when they next met.

Gamora raced back to the room where Nebula was, only to find that the door was open. Nebula was standing at the console in the corner whole and in one piece. Her teeth were gritted together in pain as she typed outlines of code.

"Nebula!" Gamora ran over and hugged her sister.

"How did you get away?" asked Nebula once the two sisters separated.

"Loki gave me this coin that created an illusion of myself. Thanos took the illusion with him to Vormir instead of me." Answered Gamora as she checked Nebula over for extra injuries.

"Loki?"

"He's an Asgardian. Same guy that Thanos made attack Terra a few years ago. He's on our side.

"So… you have a plan." Asked Nebula. They didn't have time for any more stupid questions.

"I have one. This man, Thor, took Rocket and Groot to Nivadellir to make a new weapon that has the possibility to kill Thanos. I'm going to meet up with them. Thanos is probably going to kill my illusion so he'll think I'm dead. If we keep it that way we might just have a chance." Spoke Gamora as she checked over her shoulder to make sure there weren't any guards listening.

"If you're going there, I'm going to alert the rest of your band of misfits to head to Titan. Keep the fight away from you. You can meet us there when you're ready."

Gamora nodded. It might not be the worlds best plan, but it was a plan. The two shared a quick hug before Gamora ran off to find a vacant ship and Nebula left to send a signal to the Milano.

MTHS

The pod Thor, Rocket, and Groot were taking as admittedly… a little slow. Sure, the pod was faster then if Thor were still floating in space, but they had all been stuck in the pod for over 11 hours Earth time and everyone was getting antsy.

"I am Groot." Complained Groot from his seat. He was still playing that annoying game.

"Tinkle in the cup. We're not looking. What's there to see? What's a twig? Everybody's seen a twig." Snarked Rocket from his seat in the pilot's chair.

"I am Groot!"

"Tree, pour what's in the cup out in space, and go in the cup again." Explained Thor from his spot at the back of the pod. He was making sure they weren't being followed.

"You speak Groot?" asked Rocket as he turned around in his seat to look back at Thor.

"Yes, they taught it on Asgard. It was an elective." Explained Thor. The thought just made him miss his home more and more.

"I am Groot."

"You'll know when we're there. Nivadellir's forge harnesses the power of a blazing neutron star. It's the birthplace of my hammer. It's truly awesome." Reminisced Thor as he took a seat on a bench.

Rocket looked back at Thor from his seat and sighed. The man just looked so forlorn and lost. It was heartbreakingly depressing.

"Okay, time to be the captain." Mumbled Rocket as he set the pod to autopilot and walked over to Thor, "So, dead family, huh? Yeah, that can be annoying."

"Not completely. I still have Loki and my team on Earth. Still, though, I'm one of the last Asgardians left." Thor let out a small smile. At least he wasn't completely alone.

"And you said your sister and your dad?" asked Rocket.

"Both dead."

"Still got a mom, though?"

"Killed by a dark elf."

"A best friend?"

"Stabbed through the heart." Thor looked down at his hands and Rocket couldn't help feeling for the guy.

"Are you sure you're up to this particular murder mission?" asked the trash panda with as much sincerity as he could muster.

Thor gave Rocket a wide smile almost as if he was trying to convince himself just as much as Rocket.

"Absolutely. Rage, vengeance, anger, loss, regret...They're all tremendous motivators. They really clear the mind. So I'm good to go." Thor was sniffling a bit but Rocket didn't comment on it.

"Yeah, but this Thanos we're talking about...He's the toughest there is." Pressed Rocket. He needed to know

"Well, he's never fought me." Lied Thor.

"Yeah, he has."

"He's never fought me twice." Bragged Thor, still giving Rocket a smile he normally reserved for the press back on Earth, "And I'm getting a new hammer, don't forget."

"Better be some hammer." Murmured Rocket as he looked down at his hands.

"You know, I'm 1,500 years old. I've killed twice as many enemies as that, and everyone would have rather killed me, but none succeeded. I'm only alive because fate wants me alive. Thanos is the latest in a long line of bastards and he will be the latest to feel my vengeance. Fate wills it so." Argued Thor. If it was one thing he had learned over his life, it was that fate was a bitch.

"And what if you're wrong?" asked Rocket once again looking up at Thor.

"If I'm wrong then... what more could I lose?" Thor angerly wiped away a tear that had fallen from his eye and went to reclaim his seat next to Groot, who had ignored the whole exchange in favour of playing his game. Rocket looked back at Thor and shook his head.

"I could lose a lot." Spoke Rocket under his breath. "Me personally. I could lose a lot."

Rocket rummaged over his body, searching for an item that would help out the poor depressed god. Once he found it, Rocket pulled the round object out of his pocket and handed it to Thor. It was a prosthetic eye with the deep brown iris.

"Okay. If fate does want you to kill that crapsack... You're gonna need more than one stupid eyeball."

"What's this?" asked Thor as he turned the eye over in his hands.

"What's it look like? Some jerk lost a bet with me on Contraxia." Snarked Rocket.

"He gave you his eye?"

"He gave me 100 credits. I snuck in later that night and stole his eye." Snickered Rocket as he took his seat in the pilot's chair again.

"Thank you, sweet rabbit." Said, Thor, as he proceeded to remove his eye patch and put the new eye in his empty socket with a squelching pop. Both Groot and Rocket looked disgusted.

"Hmm. Huh? Oh. I would've washed that. The only way I could sneak it off Contraxia was up my..." Rocket was interrupted as a large metal ringed structure loomed in front of them. "Hey, we're here!"

"I don't think this thing works. Everything seems dark." Complained Thor, smacking himself on the side of the head to celebrate the eye.

"It ain't the eye." Gasped Rocket as he almost steered the pod into one of the dark, motionless rings of the forge.

"Something's wrong. The star's gone out. And the rings are frozen." Marvelled Thor as he stood up to get a better look out of the front window.

Rocket turned on some axillary lights and carefully steered the pod through masses of long-dormant machinery. They set the pod down in the largest clear area they could. It was a little difficult due to the broken masses of metal just laying around. The trio stepped out of the pod and onto the decollate surface of the darkened force. Groot still wasn't really paying attention to his surroundings. He was still playing that stupid game. The air was cold and smelled like rot and coper. It made everyone uneasy.

"I hope these dwarves are better at forging than they are cleaning. Maybe they realized they live in a junk pile in the middle of space." Snarked Rocket, not letting his voice show his unease.

"This forge hasn't gone dark in centuries..." spoke Thor. What had happened here?

"You said Thanos had a gauntlet, right?" asked Rocket as he pointed to something large sitting pedestal

"Yes. Why?" asked Thor as he turned around to look at what Rocket was pointing at.

"Look anything like that?" Thor nodded in fear. The gauntlet looked exactly like the plaster mould that was sitting up high on the pedestal. This was not good. This was not good at all.

"I am Groot." Spoke Groot a bit scared as the teen finally looked up from his game.

"Go back to the pod." Ordered Thor, but he wasn't fast enough.

As soon as Thor had spoken a large giant stumbled through the rubble and threw Rocket and Groot against a wall of equipment. Thor recognized the giant right away despite his dishevelled appearance.

"Eitri, wait! Stop!" shouted Thor as he tried to get the giant's attention.

"Thor?" asked the giant as he stepped closer.

"What happened here?" questioned Thor

"You were supposed to protect us. _Asgard was supposed to protect us!"_ shouted the giant as his anger mounted and he made to charge again.

"Asgard is destroyed. Shouted Thor and Eitri stopped his advance. He knew what it was like to lose your home. "Eitri, the glove. What did you do?" asked Thor as he walked closer. Eitri just shook his head and sat down on a large chunk of silver coloured ore.

"300 dwarves lived on this ring. I thought if I did what he asked, they'd be safe. I made what he wanted. A device capable of harnessing the power of the stones. Then he killed everyone anyway. All except me. "Your life is yours." he said "But your hands are mine alone."" Eitri held up his hands. Both were encased in long hardened molten metal. It looked extremely painful. Everyone stared and felt sick. Thanos was the worst being in the universe. There was no doubt about it.

"Eitri, this isn't about your hands. Every weapon you've designed, every axe, hammer, sword...It's all inside your head. Now I know all hope feels lost. Trust me, I know. But together, you and I, we can kill Thanos." Encouraged Thor as he walked over to comfort the giant Dwarf.

Eitri was about to reply when he suddenly looked up and out into the cosmos. In the distance, they could all see a ship fast approaching. Eitri went into survival mode while Rocket handed Thor a spare blaster. As the ship landed everyone approached with extreme caution. When the doors opened they all readied their weapons, only to stop when the one and only Gamora stepped off of the ship.

"Gamora! What are you doing here? I thought you were with Quill and the others?" shouted Rocket as he and Groot went running to greet her.

"Thanos captured me on Knowhere. Loki gave me this coin thing that allowed me to escape. Nebula went to meet up with Peter and the others on Titan while I came here." Explained Gamora in a "no room for questions" sort of way.

Nobody really had any reason to argue with her. At least with the news, Thor knew that Loki was still alive. With a quick round of introductions, everyone quickly got to work gathering the things Eitri said he needed to make Thor's new weapon. One of the last pieces Thor fetched for the Dwarf was a large metal mould.

"This is the plan? We're gonna hit him with a brick?" quipped Rocket before Gamora slapped him upside the head.

"It's a mould. A king's weapon. Meant to be the greatest in Asgard. In theory, it could even summon the Bifrost." Explained Eitri and Thor's eyes lit up.

"Does it have a name?" asked Thor as he looked up expectantly.

"Stormbreaker." Thor smiled for real. He liked the name. he liked it a lot.

"That's a bit much." Teased Rocket, but nobody was listening.

"So how do we make it?" asked Gamora as she looked between Thor and Eitri.

"We'll have to restart the forge. Awaken the heart of a dying star." Thor understood what he had to do and nodded before he looked down at Rocket.

"Rabbit, fire up the pod."

MTHS

They had been on the ship for almost 18 Earth hours, if Tony's watch was correct. And it was, he built it after all. They all took turns sleeping in shifts. Tony made sure that Peter got the sleep he needed. Tony didn't sleep at all. He couldn't risk having a vision and completely freaking out while his kid was there.

They explored the ship again and found that it was completely deserted. Peter found what looked like food storage, and after a quick spell from Strange to make sure it wasn't poison, they had a quick meal. They were all sitting on the floor of the flight deck and talking. Peter was dozing with his head on Tony's lap while the Cloak of Levitation curled around the teen like a blanket.

Tony and Strange talked about the little things just to pass the time. They wanted Peter to be awake before they talked battle strategy. In the meantime they just talked about life. Tony found out that Strange used to be an actual doctor before a car accident took away the use of his hands. How Strange went to Kamar Taj to learn the mystic art and how he fought off a dimension traveling being who wanted to destroy Earth. In turn, Strange learned quite a bit about Tony. He learned that Tony was completely different from how the media portrayed him. Sure the man was snarky, but all his actions were made with good intentions. He learned that Tony truly did care about others and that the Avengers were not just a team, but one big family. Strange also learnt that Tony Stark was absolutely terrified of what was to come. To be fair, Strange was too so he couldn't really blame the man.

Once Peter woke up they started to make a battle plan. Admittingly, they didn't have much to go off of. None of them had really seen Thanos nor had they seen the Titan fight. Tony had seen bits and pieces in visions, but nothing completely concrete. The biggest thing that Tony made in their plan was to keep Peter out of the fighting as much as possible. He could swoop in and save them if they needed, but Tony did NOT want Peter in the line of fire.

They had all been up for a little over an hour and Tony and Strange were standing near the window while Peter swung around the room. They quickly noticed that they were getting closer and closer to a desolate, copper toned planet. The ship started to wobble and everyone got worried.

"Hey, what's going on?" asked Peter as he landed on the ground next to the adults.

"I think we're here." Commented Strange.

"I don't think this rig has a self-park function." Panicked Tony as he looked over at the steering aperatis that Maw had used earlier. Tony locked his arm in and turned to his son for help. "Get your hand into this steering gimbal. Close those around it. You understand?"

"Yep, got it." Exclaimed Peter as he did exactly what he was told.

"This was meant for one big guy, so we gotta to move at the same time." Stated Tony not taking his eyes off of the fast approaching planet in front of them.

"Okay. Okay. Ready." Peter planted his feet and they bang.

The second the ship began to enter the atmosphere it began to teeter back and forth. As the got closer and closer to the ground they could make out a few details. First of all, the planet below looked completely desolate. They couldn't see any plants or animals or really anything living. Secondly, most of the buildings that they could see looked like giant versions as jacks.

Tony and Peter threw up their masks as the ship clipped one of the jacks on their descent. The second the back of the ship was torn off Strange set up a protective shield around the three occupants of the ship. Tony and Peter pulled their hands free from the steering mechanism to prevent broken bones as they crash landed on the surface of the planet and were throw forward on impact.

Strange helped Tony to his feet as they both stretched out their muscles and checked for injuries. Peter was fine. He was just hanging upside down on one of his webs.

"You alright? That was close. I owe you one." Panted Strange. Tony nodded and looked up at Peter what was slowly making his way down from the ceiling.

"Let me just say, if aliens wined up implanting eggs in my chest or something, and I end up eating you, I'm sorry." Spoke Peter with the upmost sincerity.

"I don't wanna hear another single pop culture out of you for the rest of the trip. You understand?" chastised Tony as he tried to het his son to get down from his web.

"I'm trying to say that something is coming." Warned Peter.

The second Peter finished talking a grenade rolled into view and blew the three Earth heroes back a good ten feet. Soon after another grenade exploded and three new beings entered the broken down ship geared up and looking for a fight.

"Thanos!" shouted the large grey one who looked to be covered in red tattoos. He flung a sharpened blade at Strange who neatly deflected it into the nearest wall. Strange sent the Cloak of Levitation to go tackle the man by wrapping itself around his face. The man kicked and struggled as he fell to the floor.

Off in the corner, Tony and another man in a mask and rocket boots were having a bit of an aerial dogfight. Tony shot repulsor blasts while the other shot at Tony with his blasters. Tony felt like he was winning until he was shot at with a magnetic dish that hurtled him face first into a support strut. Thankfully the arc reactor was un affected by the magnet.

Meanwhile, Peter was having problems of his own. The poor teen was scuttling backwards in fear, begging this woman with big round eyes and antennae not to lay her eggs in him. He shot some webs at her body, pinning her arms to her sides so she couldn't touch him. The man with the blasters kicked Peter out of the way. What Peter's attacker didn't expect was that the teen had super strength and fast reflexes. Peter used this to his advantage as he pushed away the man and used his new golden spider legs to hop away to a safer distance.

In another area of the fight, a cry of "Die, blanket of death!" could be heard ricocheting off of the broken metal walls of the ship.

Soon enough, Tony was able to break free of the magnet and he went running. He found the large grey man from before and he put his foot on his chest, effectively keeping his trapped while the cloak returned to Strange's shoulders. When Tony looked up he saw his son trapped in a headlock by the man with the helmet who had trapped him before. Only this time, the helmet was off revealing a man who looked very much like he was from earth. He had green eyes, dark blond hair, and some interesting sideburns.

"Everybody stay where you are. Chill the Fuck out. I'm gonna ask you this one time. Where's Gamora?" Shouted the man. Tony took off his helmet to rebuttal.

"Yeah, I'll do you one better. _Who's_ Gamora?"

"I'll do _you_ one better! _Why_ is Gamora?" shouted the man beneath Tony's boot. Everyone just facepalmed at that.

"Tell me where the girl is, or I swear to you, I'm gonna French fry this little freak." Shouted the blaster happy blond man as he held said weapon to Peter's head. Tony began to panic a little.

"Let's do it! You shoot my guy, I blast him. Let's go!" shouted Tony in an effort to not let his fear show. Tony used his nanotech to make a large electric cannon erupt from his arm and point at the man he had trapped on the ground.

"Do it, Quill! I can take it." Spoke the man on the floor and everyone shook their head.

"No he can't take it!" worried the women with the antennae who was still trapped in Peter's webs.

"She's right. You can't." deadpanned Strange as he looked around the room.

"Oh yeah? You don't wanna tell me where she is? That's fine. I'll kill all three of you and beat it out of Thanos myself. Starting with you." The man pressed his blaster right up against Peter's head and Tony really started to panic. He couldn't let anything happen to his son.

"Wait, what, Thanos? All right let me ask _you_ this one time. What master do you serve?" asked Strange as he tried to get a handle on the situation.

"What master do I serve? What am I supposed to say? "Jesus"?" snarked the man who had been called Quill by the others. And with that, Tony finally had some information to go off of.

"You're from Earth?" asked Tony as he put away his nano-weapon.

"I'm not from Earth. I'm from Missouri." Argued Quill who looed confused.

"Yeah, that's on _Earth,_ dip-shit. What are you hassling us for?" snarked back Tony.

"So, you're not with Thanos?" Spoke Peter who actually had the audacity to sound disappointed.

"With Thanos? No, I'm here to kill Thanos. He took my girl. Wait, who are you?" asked Quill as he moved his weapon away from Peter. Tony let out the breath he didn't even know he was holding.

"We're the Avengers, man." Proclaimed Peter as he took of his mask.

"Oh." Whispered Quill as he let go of Peter. Grabbed his son and pulled him behind himself to protect him as he removed his foot from the man he was keeping pinned to the ground.

"You're the ones Thor told us about." Remarked the alien girl as the large grey man pulled the webbing around her arms free.

"You know Thor?" asked Tony as he looked between the three newcomers.

"Yeah. Tall guy, not that good-looking, needed saving." At that Peter just gave an affronted look. He didn't like people insulting his family.

"Where is he now?" asked Strange, completely in control of his emotions, unlike Tony.

"He went to Nivadillir to forge a new hammer" came a very familiar voice from the opening in the ship.

Tony whipped his head around and was face to face with a certain Asgardian who he thought was dead. Hell, he helped Thor hold a candle ceremony to mourn his brother, yet here he was alive and right up in Tony's face.

"What the hell took you so long to catch up with us man? We could have used you in that fight just now?" swore Quill as he shook his fist at Loki. The god just smirked.

"I always am one for the dramatic entrance, but in this case it simply took me a while to walk over from the ship. My ankle may not be broken but it still hurts like it is. And I would have made you stop this stupid fight by the way." Commented the Asgardian. Tony just looked at him with a mixture of hatred and contempt.

"Don't worry Stark. I'm not here to hurt you or your kid. I'm on your side. I want to see that murderous bastard pay for everything he's done." Spoke Loki as soon as he saw the look on Tony's face. "I could never hurt you."

"Why?"

"Because I would hate to see such a pretty face go to waste." Smirked the god. Tony just scoffed.

"I am married. You… are not allowed to flirt with me. Besides, Thor told us you died. Where the hell were you hiding all that time?" asked Tony as he tried to get more information.

"I disguised myself as our father and worked to hide and protect Infinity Stones." Tony knew that something about what Loki just said was important but he just couldn't put a finger on it.

Loki walked closer to Tony in an attempt to have a more private conversation.

"I do want to give you my sympathies for New York as well as some other past events. I do hope that the dagger has been comforting to you." Whispered Loki. And that's when Tony understood what Loki was saying.

Back a few years ago, when it was still just the original six Avengers and Carter living in the tower, they had had a game night. Tony remembered it like it was just yesterday. Tony and Steve had been dating for a little over a year, Carter was in bed and all the Avengers were playing a game of Truth or Dare that quickly went south when Nat asked Tony when he lost his virginity. Tony lost his cool and poor Steve had to tell the team about what had happened with Stone at MIT. Tony remembered Thor taking off back to Asgard and returning with that fated ruby dagger. He remembered Thor telling him days later that he had to get permission from his father to obtain it. A father who, just then, Tony realized had been Loki at the time. Tony's eyes widened and he had no words.

"I truly am sorry for what happened. That is one of the worst crimes one can have committed on them. I do hope you never had to use the dagger." Spoke Loki, his voice filled with empathy. Tony looked down at the ground and sighed.

"I did have to use it just a little over a year ago. He came back…" murmured Tony. Tony didn't know why he was being so forthcoming with all this information. He didn't even like Loki. Still, Tony felt like he owed the man something. If it wasn't for that dagger Tony would have been in much worse place then if he didn't have it.

Unfortunately, that was the moment that Peter clued in to what was happening. The kid was sometimes too smart for his own good.

"Dad! What is he saying? What does that mean? Dad, please tell me he's not saying what I think he is!" panicked Peter as he looked up at his Dad. Tony never told Peter what had happened to him when he was kidnapped by Stone and HYDRA. In fact, Tony never really talked about what happened to anyone except Steve and his therapist. But now that Peter had found out, he was heartbroken for his Dad. The pain he must have been in made Peter feel sick.

"Hey, Petey. It's alright. It's ok. I'm here. I'm alive. I'm ok. It's ok." Soothed Tony as he hugged his son close and a few tears rolled down his cheek. Everyone else in the room just looked at what was happening with varying degrees of confusion.

"But Dad it's NOT ok!" argued Peter. "That man hurt you and I couldn't protect you." Peter was borderline bawling and Tony's heart was aching for his son.

"First of all Pete, I'm the one who's supposed to protect you. You're my son and I will always try to protect you. Secondly, what happened is in the past. I went to therapy and I've worked through this. You don't need to worry about me Peter. Let me worry about you." Whispered Tony as he held his son close and let him cry.

"I'm terribly sorry if I opened any old wounds Stark. That wasn't my intention." Apologised Loki as he genuinely looked sorry for his actions.

"You'd better not tell any of these people here Reindeer Games. This is a private matter." Snapped Tony. This whole conversation made him feel a little on edge.

"Wouldn't dream of it. I may be a trickster, but even I know that there are some lines you never cross."

"Okay… there's obviously some personal issues going on, but let's put them aside and figure out what to do about Thanos." Commented Quill and the others nodded, all to eager to get out of the awkwardness of the situation.

"If we're all going to be working together we might as well introduce ourselves, although I see no need to do so with myself." Smirked Loki in some vain attempt to decrease the tension.

"Alright, yup, I agree. Waaaaay too much tension in the room. So… My names Peter Quill, better known as Star Lord. I'm half Terran, half Celestial and more than ready to kick Titan ass. Over there is Mantis. She's cool. She's an Empath so don't let her touch you unless you want your emotions broadcast to everyone in the room." Quill motioned over to Mantis who waved back at the group. "Our big guy over there is Drax. He doesn't get metaphors and is under the impression he's more awesome then me." Smirked Quill as he held out his hand. Peter just looked on in excitement.

"Your name is Peter?! My name is Peter! Well, Peter Parker-Stark, or Spider-Man. Please call me Spider-Man." shouted the teen as he shook Quill's hand with vigor. "Wait… did you say your last name was Quill? They did a Buzzfeed Unsolved episode on you! Did you really get abducted by aliens?" Peter badgered the other Peter and Tony just facepalmed.

"Well, My name is Dr. Stephen Strange. Sorcerer Supreme of Earth." Spoke Strange as his introduced himself to the group. He refused to shake anyone's hand.

"Well, I guess that just leaves me. I'm Tony Stark, known on Earth as Iron Man and co-leader of the Avengers." Dismissed Tony. He didn't like talking about himself to strangers.

"Wait a second, I remember hearing about you in the news as a kid. You're Howard Stark's genius kid, right. The one that came from a family of weapons contractors?" asked Quill as he walked over to Tony and Peter.

"Alright Space Cowboy let me just lay down a couple of rules." Snapped Tony, "First of all, Stark Industries hasn't manufactured weapons in about a decade so you can shove that notion away. Second, if you want to keep your head, don't talk about Howard Stark. The man's been dead for almost 30 years. I'd like it to stay that way." Tony hated when Howard came up in conversation. Back at the compound he was a no go topic for a reason.

"Ok. Message heard. Backing off." Spoke Quill as he raised his hands in surrender. Some fights just weren't worth it. So, Quill continued.

"So we know Thanos is after Infinity Stones so… have you ever even been in contact with an Infinity Stone?

"Yes. I've been in contact with three." Interrupted Tony before any of his companions could say anything. "Strange here has the Time Stone. The Space Stone was on Earth for a while and It was even in my house. The Mind Stone however, I'm a little more familiar with. The Stone itself if imbedded in my android grandson's forehead and I got my shitty shitty superpowers because Reindeer Games over there touched the stone to my chest. Asshole." Tony glared at Loki and the god just looked back with wide eyes.

"Wait… I gave you powers?" asked Loki.

"Powers and even more PTSD. Thanks for that." Snarked Tony as he pulled Peter just a little bit farther from Loki.

"Alright, I think the introductions done we should get outside and figure out the terrain and make a plan. Yes?" remarked Strange. Everyone nodded and they made their way outside.

"The _hell_ happened to this planet? It's eight degrees off its axis. Gravitational pull is all over the place." Commented Quill as he pulled out some device with a green hue and scanned the area.

The only person who seemed to be enjoying the planets weird gravity was Mantis, who was joyfully jumping up and down in a low gravity spot. Everyone else was taking a look around the area. Loki was scouting for hiding spots, Strange was doing… something, Quill was scanning the planet, Tony was formulating a plan, and Drax and Peter were just sort of milling around.

"Yeah, we got one advantage. He's coming to us" stated Tony as he turned to talk to Quill. "We'll use it. All right, I have a plan. Or at least the beginnings of one. It's pretty simple. We draw him in, pin him down, get what we need. Definitely don't wanna dance with this guy. We just want the gauntlet."

And that was when Drax yawned in complete and utter boredom.

"Are you _yawning?_ In the middle of this, while I'm breaking it down? Huh? Did you hear what I said?" Yelled Tony. These Guardians were incredibly frustrating.

"I stopped listening after you said, "We need a plan."" Commented Drax as he turned his attention back to Tony and Quill.

"Okay, Mr. Clean is on his own page."

"See, "not winging it" isn't really what they do." Argued Quill as he looked between his team and Tony.

"Uh, what exactly is it that they do?" asked Peter as he gestured between Drax and Mantis

"Kick names, take ass." Spoke Mantis with all the ferocity of a six week old puppy.

It was at that precise moment that Tony Stark began to loose hope in the whole situation. He was trapped in space with his oldest son. He was separated from his husband who was one of the only people who could calm him down. And to top it all off, he was surrounded by idiots.

"Alright, just get over here, please. Mr. Lord, can you get your folks to circle up?" asked Tony. His entire being just filled to the brim with exhaustion.

""Mr. Lord." Star-Lord is fine." Spoke Quill as he motioned Drax and Mantis to come over and join the group.

"We gotta coalesce. 'Cause if all we come at him with is a plucky attitude..." Tony addressed the group.

"Dude don't call us plucky. We don't know what it means." Jeered Quill, "Alright, we're optimistic, yes. I like your plan. Except it sucks, so let me do the plan, and that way it might be really good."

"Tell him about the dance-off to save the universe." Interjected Drax with a laugh. Loki and Tony just looked at them with wide, confused eyes.

"What dance-off?" asked Tony in horror. Loki just stood there frozen, taking in the stupidity of the situation.

"It's not a... it's not... it's nothing." Stuttered Quill as he tried to get the attention back to the situation at hand.

"Like in _Footloose_ , the movie?" asked Peter, further derailing the conversation.

"Exactly like _Footloose_. Is it still the greatest movie in history?" asked Quill, his voice full of excitement.

"It never was." Laughed Peter. Quill just frowned. That was twice today that someone had insulted his taste in Terran movies.

"Don't encourage this, alright?" mumbled Tony as he put his hand on his son's shoulder.

"Okay Dad."

"We're getting no help from Flash Gordon here."

"Flash Gordon? By the way, that's a compliment. Don't forget, I'm half human. So that 50% of me that's stupid? That's 100% you." Insulted Quill. Tony was completely unfazed.

"Your math is blowing my mind." Bantered Tony. He was more then ready for this whole conversation to be over.

"Excuse me, but... does your friend often _do_ that?" asked Mantis as she pulled everyone's attention over to where Strange was.

The man in question was floating cross-legged just slightly above the ground. His eye's were closed and his hands were held in some mystic gesture that held the Eye of Agamotto open. Green vapours surrounded Strange's hands and chest. It flowed like mist over a lake late at night. The most disturbing part of the whole thing was how Strange's head was moving. His head was jerking in every single direction. His features were blurred with the fast movements, but Tony could tell that Strange was in some sort of pain.

"Strange, we alright?" asked Tony, his voice laced with concern.

The second Tony got closer, Strange was yanked out of his trance with a yell. His body fell forward and thankfully, Tony was there to catch him. It took a moment for Strange to get a handle on his breathing and for his hands to stop shaking in fear.

"You're back. You're alright." Asked Tony softly. He knew what it was like to be lost in panic.

"Hey, what was that?" asked Peter, always the curious one.

"I went forward in time to view alternate futures. To see all the possible outcomes of the coming conflict." Panted Strange, his haunted eyes not leaving Tony's.

"How many did you see?" asked Quill, his voice not coming much more above a whisper.

"14,000,605."

"How many did we win?" asked Tony, afraid to know the answer.

"One." Everyone looked stunned but Strange kept talking, "I can't tell you what I saw, it would change the outcome, but I can tell you one thing. We need to keep Stark alive. At all costs."

MTHS

The Quinjet was packed. Every last Avenger who was on Earth was on that jet. It felt like standing room only. Sure there were enough seats, Tony had made sure of that when he designed the new jets. But still, it felt cramped. It didn't help that everyone was in the battle uniforms and that there where various weapons, armour, and shields scattered about.

"Drop to 2600, heading 0-3-0." Instructed Steve as he walked over to the pilot's seat.

"I hope you're right about this, Cap. Or we're gonna land a lot faster than you want to." Panicked Sam as he adjusted the jet's course to the coordinates that Steve gave him.

When Sam flew the jet into the coordinates given to him, they didn't run into the trees and mountains that they had seen before. No, they passed through layers of camouflaged force field and came face to face with the main city of Wakanda.

The second they passed through the barrier, T'Challa contacted them and gave them instructions on where to land. Sam did as instructed and landed the ship at the main palace's private airstrip. The Avengers began to disembark from the jet. A few of them, such as Scott and Clint, were excitedly looking around at their new surroundings. They hadn't been to Wakanda yet and were ready to see everything the country had to offer them.

"Should we bow?" Bruce asked Rhodey as they saw King T'Challa approaching.

"Yeah, he's a king." Replied Rhodey in complete seriousness.

"It's nice to see you again T'Challa. Last time I saw you was when you were dropping Shuri off for a sleepover." Smiled Steve as he shook hands with the King of Wakanda.

Behind them, Bruce bowed awkwardly.

"What are you doing?" mocked Rhodey the second he saw Bruce bow down.

"Uh, we don't do that here." Dissuaded T'Challa. Rhodey just gave a smile and a small laugh. And people thought that Tony was the bad influence between the two brothers.

"So how big of an assault can we expect?" asked T'Challa as everyone began walking towards the palace.

"Uh, sir, I think you can expect quite a big assault." Interjected Bruce as he jogged to keep up with the group.

"How we looking?" asked Hope as he walked towards the front of the group.

"You will have my King's Guard, the Border Tribe, and the Dora Milaje." Responded T'Challa.

"Alright, Falcon, War Machine, Hawkeye, Ant-Man, Wasp, and Bucky. You guys stay out here and keep an eye on things. Make sure your communicators are on. Bruce, you, Scarlet Witch, Vision, and Black Widow are with me." Commanded Steve. He only brought out the code names when things were serious so nobody even thought to argue.

As half the team made their way up to Shuri's lab, they were greeted warmly by the teen. She instantly made Vision hop up on her exam table and began to scan the android with her kimoyo beads. Once she had scanned Vision, Shuri made a hologram appear in her hands so that she could see everything she needed too.

"Whoa. The structure is polymorphic." Amazed the teen as she took a good look at the hologram.

"Right, we had to attach each neuron non-sequentially." Commented Bruce as he fiddled with his hands.

"Why didn't you just reprogram the synapses to work collectively?" asked Shuri. Vision looked between the two and waited for an answer.

"Because we didn't think of it. We were in a bit of a rush when Vision was born." Stuttered Bruce.

"I'm sure you did your best." Shuri gave Bruce a reassuring smile and continued to look over the hologram.

"Can you do it?" asked Wanda after a few stressful minutes.

"Yes, but there are more than two trillion neurons here. One misalignment could cause a cascade of circuit failures. It will take time." Stressed Shuri as she looked back at her brother.

"How long?" asked Steve.

"As long as you can give me."

Just as Shuri was telling Bruce what she was going to do, the alarms embedded in Okoye's kimoyo beads went off. The General looked down at the alert and her eyes widened.

"Something's entered the atmosphere."

Outside, the Avengers were dealing with the same phenomenon.

"Hey, Cap, we got a situation here." Shouted Sam as they all looked up at the sky.

Right at the moment a large pyramid shaped ship entered the air above Wakanda and smashed into the defensive shield surrounding the city. The ship exploded on contact, but the shield held.

"God, I love this place." Whispered Bucky as he watched the ship burn.

"Yeah, don't start celebrating yet, guys. We got more incoming outside the dome." Shouted Rhodey as he turned everyone's attention to what was going on outside.

"Is it time to go small? I feel like it's time to go small." Panicked Scott. His fear was evident.

"Wait till we need it." explained Hope, "Let's keep the element of surprise as long as we can."

"Guy's less chit-chat and more getting weapons out." Directed Clint as he got his bow ready for the upcoming attack.

Outside the shield trees and plants were being uprooted in the nearby forest as dozens of pyramid shaped ships landed. Inside of the palace was pure panic. Shuri was trying to get her work started and Vision was fighting her on it.

"It's too late. We need to destroy the stone now." Spoke Vision as he tried to escape from the table he was sitting on.

"Vision, get your ass back on the table." Commanded Natasha as she physically pushed him back down.

"We will hold them off." Spoke T'Challa as he, Okoye, Natasha, and Steve made their way out the door.

"Wanda, as soon as the stone's out of his head... you blow it to hell. It's caused us enough problems." Commanded Steve as he looked back at his teammates.

"I will."

"Evacuate the city. Engage all defence procedures. And find a way to get this man's husband back. His face is making me depressed." T'Challa let out a small smile. Any light in the dark of battle, even it was a tasteless joke, was welcome.

MTHS

Back on Nivadellir, Thor was getting ready to restart the forge. Rocket was in the pod they had taken to the planet while Thor was standing out on the immobile rings holding a long rope that was attached to the pod. Groot, Gamora, and Eitri were back in the main area of the forge waiting for it to be turned back on.

"I don't think you get the scientifics here. These rings are gigantic. You wanna get them moving, you're gonna need something a lot bigger to yank 'em loose." Complained Rocket.

"Leave that to me." Was all Thor gave in reply.

"Leave that to you? Buddy, you're in space. All you got is a rope and a-" Started Rocket, but he was cut off by Thor beginning to swing the pod in a large circle.

Rocket screamed as the pod picked up speed. Thor stood strong and put all his strength into swinging the pod. The stress of his face was evident to those watching.

"Fire the engines!" shouted Thor, and Rocket complied.

The second the engines started Thor was pulled forward with the force of the pod. Thor planted his feet hard into the ring he was on. As he was pulled by the pod, debris was flung in all directions as Thor struggled to get his feet dug into place. But the second he did, the rings began to move and the star burst back to life with a spray of colour.

" _That's_ Nivadellir!" exclaimed Thor as he landed face first on the window of the pod. Everyone looked at the star in amazement. The rainbow of colours danced through space and brought a smile back to Eitri's face

The iris on the cladding around the star began to open and a stream of beautiful light shot through and started heating the smelting pot. But, just as soon as it started to melt, the stream of light was cut off as the iris broke and closed.

"Damn it!" shouted Eitri as he smashed his encased fists in the smelting pot in anger.

"What happened?" asked Gamora as she and Groot walked a bit closer to the pissed of dwarf.

"The mechanism is crippled."

"What?" shouted Thor as he stood on the top of the pod.

"With the iris closed, I can't heat the metal." Argued Eitri as he looked back at the star with sad eyes.

"How long will it take to heat?" asked Thor as he formulated a plan.

"A few minutes, maybe more. Why?"

"I'm gonna hold it open." Exclaimed Thor and everyone's jaws dropped.

"That's suicide." Worried Eitri and Gamora nodded in agreeance. Groot continued to play his game.

"So is facing Thanos without that axe!" shouted Thor as he jumped from his spot on top of the pod and onto the iris.

"You understand, boy? You're about to take the full force of a star. It'll kill you." Explained Eitri in the hope that Thor would rethink his decision.

"Only if I die." Was the only reply Thor gave. Gamora just face-palmed while Eitri looked completely confused.

"Yes. That's what... "killing you" means."

After taking a deep breath to brace himself, Thor pulled on the two levers on each side of him and slowly began to open the iris. The second the force of the dying star hit him Thor was in agony. Thor used all his strength to keep his grip from slipping. He needed to keep the iris open long enough to allow the metal ingots to melt. Thor felt his skin begin to char as he screamed out in pain. He could feel his body beginning to give up. Just as the metal finished melting, Thor passed out from pain and went hurtling back towards the forge. Rocket tried to catch him with the pod but failed. Thor's body hit the ground with a thud. The sound was enough to make Groot look up from his game as he saw Gamora and Rocket go running towards the god.

"Thor! Say something. Come on. Thor, you okay?" shouted Rocket as Gamora looked over Thor's wounds.

Meanwhile, Eitri was breaking open the mould that now held the finished axe head. The red-hot pieces fell to the floor with a clang that echoed throughout the entire forge.

"I think he's dying!" rushed Gamora as she lent down to see if Thor was breathing.

"He needs the axe! Where's the handle? Tree help me find the handle!" commanded Eitri frantically.

Groot watched with wide eyes as he saw Eitri search for the axe handle before the metal cooled. He looked over at Rocket and Gamora were trying to keep Thor alive. And that was when Groot understood what he had to do. The young tree put down his game and walked over to the two pieces of the axe head and stared at the hot metal. Groot took a moment to brace himself before he extended his fingers out to tie the two side together and create a handle for the axe. He gasped in pain but pushed forward, picking up the axe and severing his arm at the right length to make a handle. Groot stumbled back after that and fell on the ground near the rest of the group. Everyone held their breath and waited in anticipation for what would happen next.

Thor's fingers twitched and sparked with electricity and so did the axe. Everyone gather around close to the fallen god as the axe flew into his hand and the world lit up with a rainbow hue.

MTHS

Back in Wakanda, everyone was heading out to the fields and getting ready to fight. T'Challa's army was truly impressive and large in number. Wakanda may not start fights, but they sure as hell were ready to finish them. Everyone was in battle carriers that were taking them to their position on the field. Sam and Rhodey were all suited up and in the air, ready to go with aerial support the second they were needed. Bruce on the other hand, as clad in the Hulkbuster armour that they had called down from its satellite in space. Because the Hulk refused to come out and Bruce was needed to fight, it was their best option.

It was a really last minute decision. Bruce had never used any form of armour before and had trouble controlling it. The poor man tripped over a small rock and faceplanted in the dirt. He got right back up after receiving a rather scathing look from Okoye and a small chuckle from Natasha and Hope.

"I got two heat signatures breaking through the tree line." Announced Rhodey as he used his suit's AI, JACOSTA, to scan the area.

Soon enough, all of the Wakandan warriors as well as the Avengers were off of the battle carriers and getting into formation. The Jabari Warriors had joined with the rest of Wakanda with M'Baku rallying his troops with war chants. After T'Challa and M'Baku conferred for a moment, T'Challa lead Steve and Natasha over to the shield wall to see what was going on. As the got closer, they could clearly see two familiar figures, Proxima Midnight and Cull Obsidian.

"Where's your other friend?" taunted Natasha as the trio came face to face with the intruders.

"You will pay for his life with yours. Thanos will have that stone." Snapped Proxima. Her words declared war.

"That's not gonna happen. You've already stolen from me once today. I'll be sure that you never do it again." Sneered Steve, his words

"You are in Wakanda now. Thanos will have nothing but dust and blood." Challenged T'Challa.

"We... have blood to spare." Smirked Proxima as she gave to signal for her troops to disembark from their ships. Steve and the others returned back to the group and got back into formation.

"I take it the space assholes didn't surrender?" asked Scott as he turned to face his captain.

"Of course they didn't. Since when do we ever get out of a fight that easy?" Snarked Clint as he double checked his arrows.

As the forest rustled in the distance, T'Challa lead his warriors in a chant of "Yibambe". Steve had no idea what it meant, but the energy of the chant was electric. Soon, the plains area outside the shield was teaming with multilegged creatures with rows sharp teeth.

"What the hell." Whispered Bucky as he saw the Outriders begin to pile up at the shield.

"Looks like we pissed her off." Scoffed Natasha.

As the Outriders began to pile up, they slowly began to breach through the shield. Dismembered limbs and bisected bodies began to pile up and everyone looked on in horror. Soon, Outriders began to actually make it through the shield in almost one piece and began to run towards the Wakandan forces and the Avengers. The Border Tribe raised their shields to protect their king while the Dora Milaje raised their spears to fire. Bucky and Clint took aim with their guns and arrows while Sam and Rhodey took to the air in an attempt to slow the intruders. It only took a few minutes of fighting for the Outriders to begin to try and circle around the back.

"Cap, if these things circle the perimeter and get in behind us...There's nothing between them and Vision." Worried Bruce over the coms.

"Them we better keep 'em in front of us." Spoke Steve grimly as he looked at his team. They all needed to make it out of this fight alive.

"How do we do that?" asked Okoye, unafraid to show her fear over the situation. Fear in the face of danger but fighting anyway is bravery. Rushing into battle blindly, that is arrogance.

"We open the barrier." Soon. T'Challa was sending instructions back to the palace to open a small section of the shield. It was their only chance to funnel the attackers and control the number of them that they were fighting at any given time.

"This will be the end of Wakanda." Whispered M'Baku was he looked over at T'Challa and Okoye.

"Then it will be the noblest ending in history." Started Okoye as she watched her leader walk to the front if the forces. At his command, the Border Tribe disengaged their shields and T'Challa threw up his hands in the Wakandan salute.

"WAKANDA FOREVER!" came a shout from T'Challa as he helmet materialized around his head.

Everyone started running towards the shield with T'Challa and Steve leading the pack by a large margin. Bucky could have caught up with the two but elected to play it safe and stick back a bit. At T'Challa's signal, the shield was opened.

And so began the fight for their lives.

Outriders began pouring through the opening like sand in an hourglass. T'Challa asked Shuri how much work she had left to do to get the stone free from Vision. It wasn't good. She still had a lot of work to do. It didn't take long for everyone to become overwhelmed by the number of Outriders they were fighting.

Scott and Hope were shifting frequently between being small and normal sized just in the effort not to get hit. Clint was running out of arrows fast and had switched to using one of the spare guns he brought. Rhodey and Sam were raining down bullets and repulsor blasts from the air like it was the last thing they would ever do, only to be hit hard by Cull Obsidian's hammer. Bruce and Bucky had been knocked down and were struggling to push Outriders off of them. T'Challa was being thrown around like a ragdoll and Steve was having similar problems. Just as Steve was about to give up and accept his fate, the battlefield lit up with light.

An axe flew through the air, taking out creatures without prejudice. Everyone who was pinned by the Outriders was freed as bolts of lightning sparked in great arcs around the field. "That would look even cooler if the Immigrants Song was playing." Thought Steve as his mind wandered to sleepless nights dancing with Tony in his lab. He didn't have long to linger on the thought before the source of the axe appeared.

The light of the Bifrost tapered off to reveal Thor, Groot, Rocket, and Gamora, all of them ready to rush into battle. Thor looked decidedly less fried than he had just moments before and was even clad in his signature red cape.

"AH-hahaha! You guys are so screwed now!" cheered Bruce as he opened the helmet on his suit to take a good look at the friend he thought had died back on the Statesman.

"BRING ME THANOS!" Cried the god as he ran into battle and right into a hoard of Outriders. He launched himself right into the middle of the densest part and crashed down in a bolt of lightning, killing hundreds.

"Come and get some, space dogs!" shouted Rocket as he used his blaster to take down Outrider after Outrider. As another wave hit, Bucky picked up Rocket with one hand and held his gun in the other. Bucky spun then in a circle a la Sound of Music and together they took down about three dozen outriders.

"How much for the gun?" asked Rocket once Bucky had set him down.

"Not for sale." Snapped Bucky as he continued to fire rounds into the Outrider's skulls.

"How much for the arm?" continued Rocket. Bucky just served him a look before running back into the fray.

Back out on the field, Thor and Steve began fighting in tandem like they always did in battle. It didn't take long before fatigue began to set in. Both men were breathing heavily and their muscles ached. Together they took a few seconds to just breathe, even with all the destruction around them.

"New haircut?" Steve asked Thor as he panted and wiped some Outrider blood from his forehead.

"It was forced on me by an old guy with crazy scissors." Smirked Thor as he thought back to his time on Sakar. Just at that moment, Groot, who was fighting nearby chose to skewer three Outriders with his arm.

"By the way, this is a friend of mine, Tree." Gestured Thor.

"I am Groot!" snarled the teen as he jumped back into battle.

"I am Steve Stark." Introduced Steve as he watched the fighting continue for a moment before jumping back in. His normally blue uniform was stained with blood (both his own and Outrider) and covered in mud. The only clean thing on Steve was his shield. The red, white, and blue standing out amongst the crowd like a beacon.

A cry of "FALL BACK" was heard from T'Challa as gigantic shredding wheels erupted from the ground. Everyone was running for their lives as the shredders tore up the earth and slaughtered both Outriders and Wakandan warriors alike.

Back in the lab, Wanda was watching all the death and destruction going on below. She looked back at Vision and Shuri and knew she had to make a decision. Wanda knelt down and kissed Vision's hand before tearing outside to join the fight.

Natasha, Hope, and Okoye were fighting outriders together when one of the shredders came barrelling towards them. None of them had any time to move. The all decided to keep fighting Outriders until the bitter end. Just as the shredder was about to hit them, it stopped and was flung into the air in a red haze. They turned around and saw Wanda throw the shredder into a large group of Outriders just coming through the opening in the shield.

"Why was she up there all this time?" asked Okoye as the four badass ladies continued to fight together.

Everyone continued to fight and accumulate more wounds, even the once with enhancements. As the fought, the number of active Outriders began to decrease drastically, mostly thanks to Thor and his lightning. Suddenly, the sound of glass breaking could be heard back at the palace as Vision and one of the black Order fell from a window.

"Guys, we got a Vision situation here." Announced Sam as he was tackled to the ground by a stray Outrider.

"Somebody get to Vision!" commanded Steve as he threw his shield and severed the head of an Outriders.

"I got him!" called out Bruce as he clumsily activated the thrusters on the suit and flew off to the forest where Vision fell.

"On my way." Announced Wanda just as she was struck in the head by Proxima Midnight's spear. Wanda tumbled down into a ditch left behind bu a shredder, and before she could move, she was met with the sight of the alien standing over her.

"He'll die alone. As will you." Smirked Proxima as she leant over Wanda, her spear poised to kill.

"She's _not_ alone." Spoke Natasha as she, Hope, and Okoye jumped into the ditch to join the fight.

Blows were traded on both sides before they all had to duck to avoid the angry teeth of a shredder that rolled overhead. Hope took to attacking from the air, using her wings and blasters to deal heavy blows. Natasha, Wanda, and Okoye struck from the ground. Natasha and Okoye shocked the alien with their weapons while Wanda tried to use her magic to her advantage.

The fight seemed to be lasting far longer than optimal and they were all beginning to feel their wounds through the adrenaline. They were there, in a ditch in Wakanda, fighting to the death. It really put things into perspective. A rumbling could be heard coming ever closer and Wanda got an idea. The second the shredder began to pass overhead, Wanda used all her strength to fling Proxima Midnight into the spinning teeth, splattering blood over the field and killing her instantly.

"That was really gross." Commented Natasha as she helped Wanda to her feet. The women shared a look of encouragement before they began sprinting off into the forest.

Back with Vision, things were getting messy. Corvus Glaive, who was very much still alive, and Cull Obsidian were double teaming the poor man and Vision was woefully outmatched. He was trying hard not to use the stone in his head because it was already half off his head. Vision was being flung around into trees and rocks and it was starting to get painful. Just as Obsidian was about to bash Vision in the head with his hammer, he was stopped by a surprisingly well-placed repulsor blast.

"Ohh no, oh no you don't. This isn't going to be like New York, pal. This suit's already kicked the crap out of the Hulk" taunted Bruce as Bruce lead the fight away from Vision and towards a waterfall.

"Guys! Vision needs backup _now!"_ Called out Bruce over the coms as he quickly realized that he'd left Vision in the woods by himself.

From there Bruce got into a one on one fight with Obsidian. Bruce took hit after hit and the armour started to creak under all the pressure it was under. "Hulk. Hulk, I know you like making your entrance at the last second, well, this is it, man. This is the last, _last_ second." Panicked Bruce. He needed the Hulk's help and it just wasn't happening. After Obsidian broke off the left arm of the suit, Bruce had had enough. "Oh, screw you, you big green asshole! I'll do it myself!"

Bruce charged at the alien again but was once again pushed down into the water and rocks below. Bruce rolled over a bit in the suit and had the most brilliant idea. Laying on a rick nearby was the dismembered arm of the Hulkbuster armour. All Bruce needed to do was get it on Obsidian's arm and press the button that would make it lift off. So that's what Bruce did. And it worked! Obsidian was sent flying right into the shield surrounding Wakanda. It only took seconds for the alien to be torn to pieces. Wakanda was awesome!

Back with Vision, Steve and Clint had arrived just in time to stop Corvus Glaive from taking Vision's head off. Unfortunately, Corvus was still able to once again stab Vision on the chest, leaving him vulnerable on the forest floor. Clint shot a few explosive arrows while Steve used the trees to ricochet hit shield into Corvus' back.

"Get outta here!" commanded Steve as he and Clint took turns dealing blows to the enemy. " _Go!"_

Just as Steve turned his back he was picked up and flung over a fallen tree and pinned to the ground by Corvus. Steve's shield was laying on the ground just out of reach and Corvus was ready to strike. Steve struggled and pushed with all his might to get free but he was simply just too exhausted to do much. Thank fuck for Clint. He had picked up Corvus' fallen spear and had stabbed it clean through the attacker's chest.

"Thanks, Hawkeye." Smiled Steve as he was helped up.

"No problem Cap. I wasn't gonna let you just lay there and die. We need you here with us."

"I thought I told you to go." Spoke Steve as he helped Vision to his feet.

"We don't trade lives, Captain."

In the distance, the fight raged on. But in the clearing in the forest, time seemed to stand still.

MTHS

Back on Titan, everyone was in place and waiting in their hiding places for Thanos to arrive. They needed the element of surprise if they wanted any of this to work. When Thanos did arrive, it was through a portal created by the Space Stone. The Titan looked around and was met by the sight of Strange sitting alone on one of the long broken steps of the plaza.

"Oh, yeah. You're much more of a Thanos."

"I take it the Maw is dead." Strange nodded, "This day extracts a heavy toll. Still, he accomplished his mission."

"You may regret that. He brought you face-to-face with the Master of the Mystic Arts." Taunted Strange as he tried not to think about his companions hidden around the area.

"And where do you think he brought you?" asked Thanos as he gestured around the ravaged planet.

"Let me guess. Your home?" asked Strange as he stared the genocidal maniac dead in the eyes.

"It was. And it was beautiful." Thanos activated the Reality Stone and the landscape was transformed into a paradise compared to what to now looked like. There were lush, green lawns and wonderful water fountains. All the buildings were intact and there were citizens milling around. "Titan was like most planets. Too many mouths, and not enough to go around. And when we faced extinction, I offered a solution."

"Genocide." Supplied Strange, already at the end of his rope.

"But at random, dispassionate, fair to rich and poor alike. They called me a madman. And what I predicted came to pass." Explained Thanos as he let the illusion fade back into reality.

"Congratulations. You're a prophet. The second one I've met today actually, except he's way less murdery" spoke Strange condescendingly to Thanos. The Titan just sneered.

"I'm a survivor."

"Who wants to murder trillions." Argued Strange as he stood up.

"With all six stones, I could simply snap my fingers, and they would all cease to exist. I call that...mercy."

"And then what?"

"I finally rest... and watch the sunrise on a grateful universe. The hardest choices require the strongest wills." Strange looked at Thanos for a second before finally making a move.

"I think... you'll find... our wil...l equal to yours. Strange summoned his shields and fell into the defensive.

"Our?" Questioned Thanos.

Before he even had time to react Thanos was crushed beneath a large wedge of wreckage powered by Tony. The second the wedge began to touch down, Tony flew out of the way and to a safer distance. He didn't want to be in the way once Thanos got out.

"Piece of cake, Quill." Smirked Tony, even though he knew that the battle was far from over.

"Yeah, if your goal was to piss him off." Shouted the Guardian as the wreckage erupted in purple as Thanos freed himself using the Power Stone.

The resulting explosion drove Tony and Quill back into the ruins of the ship. Peter took the momentary distraction to shoot a few webs into Thanos' eye, effectively blinding the Titan. At the same time, Drax slid behind Thanos and tried to sever the tendons on the back of his knees. Strange summoned a golden sword made out of energy and Quill took to the air to shoot a few electric blasts at Thanos.

But, Thanos was more than ready to retaliate. He threw Drax through a crumbling wall and he shattered the blade Strange made like it was glass. He kicked Strange back but thankfully the cloak was able to stop him from smashing into a wall that was nearby. As Thanos tore the webbing from his eyes, he came face to face with someone he thought he had killed.

"I thought I killed you back on that ship of yours." Cursed Thanos as he stared down the God of Mischief.

"You'll have to try harder to kill me." Smirked Loki as he flung daggers at Thanos' heart.

As Thanos deflected the daggers, Quill was back up and dodging blasts Thanos threw from the Power Stone. He used pieces of floating debris to run up to Thanos and jump over the Titan. As soon as Peter reached his back, he stuck a sticky grenade on Thanos' back.

"Boom!" shouted Quill as he flipped Thanos the bird and fell backwards into a portal that Strange had created.

The resulting explosion brought Thanos down to his knees.

"Do not let him close his fist." Strange whispered to his cloak. Immediately the Cloak of Levitation got to work, winding itself around the Infinity Gauntlet to keep Thanos from using it.

Strange used the opportunity to start throwing portals everywhere to his comrades to use. Peter used that to his advantage and started jumping through different portals and kicking Thanos when his back was turned. Peter got a few decent hits in before Thanos grabbed the teen by the neck and slammed him into the ground.

"PETER!" shouted Tony as he flew back into the fray and started to barrage Thanos with missiles. Nobody hurt his kid and got away with it.

Thanos proceeded to rip the cloak off if his hand and sent it flying off. The second that happened, Thanos sucked in the flames from the explosions Tony made and shot it back at the Armoured Avenger. Now That Peter was free he shot a web at the gauntlet to try and pull it off of Thanos' hand. He was unsuccessful and Peter received a punch to the face. Luckily, the teen was flung out of the way just as a small spacecraft barreled into the Titan at full speed. Out of the rubble emerged Nebula who looked all too proud in running the Mad Titan over with her craft.

"Well, well." Commented Thanos as he got back up to his feet.

"You should have killed me." Sneered Nebula as she drew her swords.

"It would've been a waste of parts!" bellowed Thanos as Nebula charged forward.

Thanos pushed her away with ease but Strange was faster in his actions. He threw up a couple dozen crimson bands that held the gauntlet in place. Drax was next. He slid in from behind and kicked Thanos in the back of the knee, sending the Titan down to kneel on the ground. After Drax was Loki, who used his particular brand of magic to secure Thanos' feet to the ground. Quill was right behind Loki as he set up an electric entanglement trap that anchored Thanos' right hand away from the gauntlet. Peter followed with his own attack as the teen used his webs to bind Thanos' chest. Last but not least was Mantis. Strange opened a portal right over Thanos that allowed her to land on his shoulders and send the Titan off to sleep.

"Is he under? Don't let up." Asked Tony as he landed and began trying to wrangle the gauntlet off.

"Be quick. He is very strong." Cried Mantis as she struggled to keep Thanos asleep.

"Pete, help! Get over here. She can't hold him much longer. Let's go." Shouted Tony. Peter dropped his webs and ran over to help his Dad pull of the gauntlet.

"I thought you'd be harder to catch. For the record, this was my plan. Not so strong now, huh?" taunted Quill as he landed in front of the group, "Where is Gamora?"

" _My... Gamora...?"_ came Thanos' voice in a rasp as he tried to fight off the Mantis induced sleep.

"No, bull _shit_. Where is she?" shouted Quill as he got closer.

"He is in anguish!" came a shocked reply from Mantis as she felt Thanos' emotions roll off him in waves.

"Good."

"He… he… _mourns!"_ cried out Mantis as everyone continued to struggle against Thanos.

"What does this _monster_ have to _mourn?!"_ asked Drax as he kept his hold on Thanos' leg.

"…Gamora." Quill looked over at Nebula, his eyes filled with hurt and confusion.

"...What?"

"He took her to Vormir. He's here but she's not." Came Nebula's stoic reply. She knew that Gamora was fine and alive, but she was sworn to secrecy in order to keep her sister safe. Tony saw Quill's eyes darken and he responded immediately.

"Okay, Quill, you gotta cool it right now, you understand?" spoke Tony as calmly as he could. If he kept Quill calm, they could avoid disaster.

Quill wasn't listening at all. He slowly turned towards Thanos and began to raise his fists.

"Don't, don't, don't engage, we've almost got this off!" panicked Tony.

"Tell me she's lying." Shouted Quill as he became more and more enraged. ASSHOLE! TELL ME YOU DIDN'T DO IT!"

" _I... had... to."_ Was Thanos' stuttered reply. That was when Quill started crying.

"No, you didn't… No, you didn't…" pain and rage contorted Quill's face as he stared at the man who had caused so much pain to others. "NO, YOU DIDN'T!"

That was when Quill began to pistol-whip Thanos repeatedly in the face causing Mantis to lose her grip and for Tony to let go of the gauntlet in favour of getting Quill to stop.

"Hey, stop! Hey, stop! Stop! Hey, stop! Stop!" called out Tony as he tried in vain to restrain a struggling Quill. He was able to hold him long enough for Peter to get the fingers loose on the gauntlet, but it wasn't enough.

Thanos woke up completely and he threw Peter and Mantis off of him with great force. Peter used spider legs to make a rolling cage so that he could protect himself and Mantis as they hit the ground. Drax and Loki were sent sprawling off of Thanos' legs and Strange was pulled forwards using the crimson bands he attached to Thanos. All of the guardians jumped in to attack again but were blasted back by the Power Stone, knocking them unconscious.

At the same time, Tony had used some of his nanites to create a stunning blue and red double-sided blade. Thanos pushed him back before he harnessed the powers of the Space and Power Stones to literally pull the moon out of orbit. Pieces of moon began to plummet back down towards the surface of the planet. Tony began swerving and ducking in every direction as he tried in vain to dodge the moon that Thanos aimed at him.

"Dad! DAD!" Cried out Peter the second he saw the sizable chunk of moon crush Tony into the ground. Peter was freaking out but he knew he had to rescue the Guardians and Loki who were unconsciously floating away. He quickly webbed them up and dragged them all back to the safety of the ground.

While Tony tried to free himself from the moon and Peter rescued the Guardians and Loki, Strange was working on a plan of his own. Just as Thanos was extracting himself from the rubble, Strange sent a powerful blast of energy at a rock, turning it red hot and sending it towards Thanos. The rock almost hit Thanos, but the Titan was smart and sent the rock away with a pulse from the Power Stone. The pulse continued forwards towards Strange who blocked it with the Mirror Dimension.

When Strange sent the Mirror Dimension careening towards Thanos, he only shattered it and turned the remains into a black hole. Fortunately, Strange was able to cast a spell that turned the black hole into a thousand bright blue butterflies. Before Thanos could launch a counter attack Strange used the cloak to levitate and multiply himself. He cast hundreds of magical cords intended to keep Thanos stationary and to pull off the gauntlet. It didn't take long for Thanos to overpower him. Thanos was quick to activate the Power Stone. The force of the attack blew the duplicates to dust. He then pulled Strange forward and held him by the neck.

"You're full of tricks, wizard." Sneered Thanos as he pulled the Eye of Agamotto from Strange's chest and crushed it. "Yet you never once used your greatest weapon. A fake." The thought of being cheated made Thanos so pissed off that he threw Strange so hard into a metal post that the sorcerer passed out.

Just as Thanos was about to launch another attack, this time at Peter, a red and gold device attached itself to the Infinity Gauntlet. Thanos turned his head and was once again face to face with the one and only Tony Stark.

"You throw another moon at me, and I'm gonna lose it." Breathed out Tony as he found his footing.

"Stark." Scowled Thanos as he stared down the man who had long plagued his dreams.

"You know me?" asked Tony as he did the same.

"I do. You're not the only one cursed with knowledge."

"My only curse is _you_. You've been in my head for six years, and I think you've overstayed your welcome."

And with that declaration, that was when the fight really started. Tony shot several small rockets that exploded around Thanos and shrouded him in smoke, blinding the Titan and giving Tony an opportunity to attack. Tony used some nanites to make some boot clamps to anchor him to the ground while he turned his hands into giant battering rams that sent Thanos flying back into a long-ago broken wall. Thanos was quick to recover. He ran over to Tony and ripped his helmet off. The helmet reformed just before Thanos punched Tony in the head, sending the man sprawling to the ground. Because Tony was on the ground, Thanos was able to pull his gauntlet free of the device that Tony had used.

But that wasn't the end of the assault. The second Tony was up, Thanos sent the full force of the Power Stone in his direction. Tony was able to throw up a shield to protect himself. But only just. Tony could feel the heat of the blast on his armour and burning his shin. It took tremendous strength for Tony to push himself out of the way and to fly back towards Thanos. He used his left foot to kick Thanos in the face before he anchored it to the ground. Using the force he had created, Tony moved his fist back towards Thanos and socked him in the face, cutting the Mad Titan's cheek.

"All that for a drop of blood." Taunted Thanos as he wiped the blood from his face with a smile.

Tony thought back to something Vanko had said to his years ago. Back when Tony was dying from palladium poisoning and was ready to give up all hope.

"If you make a God bleed, people will cease to believe in him."

Thanos took that as the ultimate threat as he punched Tony HARD, sending the man flying back. Thanos was on top of Tony in seconds, beating the man with his fists and taking chunks out of the Bleeding Edge Armour in the process. Tony could barely defend himself as the gaps in the armour became bigger and bigger as the nanites were no longer able to repair it. Tony took another hit from the Power Stone that left Tony breathless.

But Tony wasn't done fighting. Far from it actually. Tony scrambled to his feet and he used some of the nanites covering his legs to create a crude repulsor that he used to shoot Thanos in the face. That did nothing but make the madman angrier. Thanos stalked over to Tony and made to bring his fist down on Tony's head. Tony was fast though and was able to block the blow with his forearms. Thanos used his other arm to grab Tony's left hand and hold it over his hand. Tony struggled and in his desperation, formed a golden short sword out of the nanites that were protecting his left flank.

Everything went downhill with that one decision.

The second Thanos saw the sword he broke it off and used it to stab Tony clean through his left side. Thanos walked Tony backwards until he was kneeling on the ground. Blood followed Tony like an old friend as it splattered to the ground under his wound and dribbled out if his mouth. Thanos lower his hand and ran the gauntlet over Tony's hair in an almost comforting gesture. But Tony knew different. This wasn't comfort. Steve running his hands through Tony's hair late at night was comfort. This… this was hell personified.

"You have my respect, Stark." Cooed the Titan, "When I'm done, half of humanity will still be alive. I hope they remember you."

Tony could barely understand what was being said. He was more preoccupied with trying to reconcile with his immediate death and the fact that he was leaving his sons and husband alone to face the world. A lone tear rolled down Tony's cheek as he watched the stones that were already in the gauntlet begin to light up.

"Stop!" shouted Strange meer seconds before Thanos was about to use the full force of all the stones to kill Tony. "Spare his life... and I will give you the stone."

"No tricks." Asked Thanos. Strange shook his head and Thanos nodded back.

"Don't..!" stuttered out Tony. A little more blood dribbled out of his mouth causing the man to choke a little.

Strange just sent Tony a look of pity and knowing before summoning the Time Stone out of it's hiding place. Thanos had a look of utter glee on his face as the stone began to float into its place on the gauntlet. The energy pulse that followed made the Titan scream both in agony and joy.

"Soon…" whispered the Titan as the stone settled in with a beautiful green glint, but it was nothing compared to the glint of green in his eyes.

Seconds later Quill, who was now awake and kicking, started to fire rounds in rapid succession in some last-ditch attempt to land a hit on the man who had caused them all so much pain and suffering. Thanos didn't even flinch. He just used the Space Stone to create a portal that allowed him to leave his home planet.

" _Where is he?!"_ shouted Quill as he looked around in a blind rage.

Tony was hardly listening. He was more focused on trying to stay alive long enough to at least say goodbye to Peter. He used what was left of his nanites to stitch up his wound as best he could. The whole process hurt like a bitch and left him dizzy and barely coherent enough to speak.

"Why would you do that?" Tony asked Strange as he gave the man a sad, forlorn look.

"We're in the endgame now." Was the only reply he got.

"So what do we do?" whispered Tony in what little breath he had regained.

"I think you already know Stark. You know it in your soul."

MTHS

As the fight in Wakanda raged on the number of Outriders decreased exponentially. Thor was raining lightning down from above while those with guns did the same with their bullets. M'Baku was once again leading the Jabari in a chant. Gamora was leading a charge against the remaining Outriders who no monger had leaders to follow. Meanwhile, the Avengers, Rocket, Okoye, and T'Challa were all making their way to the forest.

"Are you okay?" worried Wanda as she landed next to Vision. When Wanda put her hand on Vision's shoulder, the man physically flinched in great pain. Wanda looked concerned, but before she could ask what was wrong, Vision looked up in complete fear.

"He's here."

The wind slowly began to pick up and an eerie silence settled over the forest. It made Steve's skin crawl and he felt sick. It actually felt like how Tony had described feeling after one of his visions. And that was when Steve understood what was about to happen. He could only hope that Tony hadn't met up with Thanos first.

"Everyone, on my position. We have incoming."

All the Avengers had gathered in the forest where Steve was. The Wakandan warriors had a handle back on the Outrider situation back in the field as they had dwindled down to a manageable number. They only had a few seconds before a cluster of blue and grey clouds opened up and Thanos stepped through. Gamora ran back into the trees. She couldn't let Thanos know she was alive.

"Cap. That's him." Warned Bruce. He no longer had any room for fear.

"Eyes up. Stay sharp." Commanded Steve. And the battle began.

Bruce was the first to reach Thanos. He wanted revenge for what happened on the Statesman. Bruce lunged forward with raised first, but Thanos just used the Space Stone to entrap him in a nearby cliffside. Steve was next to try but was sent flying away by the Power Stone. T'Challa used his strength to leap into the air and was punched back down to Earth as his armour discharged violently. Falcon flew in and tried to hit Thanos with a barrage of bullets but was sent spiralling into the trees as his wings became rubbery and flaccid.

"Wanda. It's time." Spoke Vision

"No!" argued Wanda as she looked between the fight happening against Thanos, and Vision.

"They can't stop him, Wanda, but we can. Look at me. You have the power to destroy the stone."

"Don't."

"You must do it. Wanda, please. We are out of time."

"I can't." Wanda was trying her best to hold off her inevitable tears.

"Yes, you can. You can. If he gets the stone, half the universe dies." Pressed Vision.

"It's not fair." Wanda was visibly crying as she looked back at her friends getting hurt. She didn't know if she could do this.

"It shouldn't be you, but it is. It's all right. You could never hurt me. I just feel you." Vision gave a small smile, one filled with all the love he could manage before Wanda raised her hand and started to blast the Mind Stone with energy.

Back with Thanos, Rhodey had joined in the fight. He fired of repulsor blasts at Thanos' face before Thanos used the gauntlet to crush the War Machine Armour, leaving Rhodey in a crumpled heap. Bucky came in running as fast as he could, firing rounds from his machine gun, only to be punched away by the Power Stone. Okoye and Natasha ran forward together. Okoye tried to throw her spear but was blasted back while Natasha became entombed in the earth. Rocket was next to be attacked. He was flung into a tree trunk. When he landed, his tail was bent at an awkward angle. Hope tried to attack from above. Thanos tore off her wings and punched her in the chest. Clint was kicked back into the ravine. His hair plastered to his face as he became covered in mud. Scott was flung over 200 feet. Groot tried to ensnare Thanos in tendrils of roots that the Titan easily broke free of.

It was complete and utter destruction. Wanda looked over her shoulder just in time for her to see Steve get up, land a few good punches, and catch the gauntlet.

"Give me back my husband and son! GIVE ME BACK MY TONY!" shouted Steve as he used all his strength to hold back the gauntlet with his bare hands.

Thanos only spared a second to give Steve a knowing look before he hit the man hard enough in the head that it would have instantly killed a lesser man.

The Titan began walking towards Wanda, who used her free hand to try and push him back and away from Vision. Despite this, Thanos still tried to push forward. Just as Wanda turned back to face Vision, he gave her one last smile before the Mind Stone in his head was turned to dust.

A blast of power caused the trees to shake as Wanda fell to her knees in anguish. She felt nothing but pure, unadulterated sadness as she let her tears flow with reckless abandon. The day had taken away too much for anyone to be happy.

"I understand, my child. Better than anyone." Consoled Thanos as he walked the short distance between him and Wanda.

"You could never." Snarled Wanda. Her sadness turning into blazing hot anger.

"Today, I lost more than you can know. But now is no time to mourn. Now is no time at all."

And with that declaration, Thanos activated the Time Stone. The shattered remains of the Mind Stone came back together and rejoined in Vision's head. The Android came back to life with a gasp, both of surprise and fear. Thanos swatted Wanda away as if she was nothing and grabbed Vision by the throat. He dug his fingers into Visions forehead causing him to cry out in pain as the stone was ripped from his head by force. Vision went limp and colourless as Thanos threw his dead body to the ground.

The second Thanos added the Mind Stone to the gauntlet, he was overwhelmed by the surge of energy that coursed through his veins. It felt like drowning in lava while having the best sex he had ever had. The feeling was one he knew he wanted to feel again.

As Thanos studied the gauntlet, he was taken by surprise as he was blasted by a massive bolt of lightning. Thor came hurtling forward, Stormbreaker held aloft and ready to strike. Thanos shot back using the combined powers of the Stones, but Thor's lightning was stronger. It pushed the Mad Titan back as Thor flew closer and closer. Before Thanos could even think of a counter attack, Thor had lodged the blade of the axe deep into Thanos' chest.

"I told you. You'd die for that!" spat Thor as he pushed the axe even deeper into his chest, causing purple blood to seep out and drip onto the ground. Thanos raised his head weakly before spitting out blood and trying to speak.

"You should've... You..." coughed Thanos before he spoke with a renewed sense of strength. "You should've gone for the head."

Thanos looked the Asgardian dead in the eyes as he raised the gauntlet… and snapped his fingers.

" _NO!"_

The world turned white and the screams of battle could still be heard in the distance.

MTHS

Back on Titan, Tony was sitting on the cold hard ground, nursing his wounds. Everyone was in one piece with a few sprains and gashes. Nothing serious. Nothing like Tony. So far the nanites were doing their job and keeping him alive. At his best estimate, Tony thought that this would last for maybe 5-6 hours. Hopefully, the Guardians' ship was fast enough to get them all home… if it wasn't destroyed in the battle against Thanos.

Tony was definitely having trouble staying upright. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, Tony felt exhausted. All he wanted to do was take Peter home, check in on Carter, cuddle up next to Steve, and sleep for the next 40 years. But Tony couldn't do that. If he fell asleep now, he may not wake up again. He couldn't leave his kids. They needed him.

Speaking of kids, Tony turned his head to look at Peter. The kid had a bad cut on his cheek but he was otherwise unharmed. At least Tony had done something right and his oldest was alright. Peter was standing there talking to both Loki and Quill about something trivial, trying to make everyone smile in the face of destruction. Peter looked fine. He was smiling and telling jokes. He looked like any normal teenager. Until he turned back to Tony with his hands shaking.

"Dad… I don't feel so good…"

* * *

Well well well. So you've made it to the end of the chapter. How much do you want to kill me for that ending? I'm so not sorry for it. All will be reviled in due time. I'm sorry this chapter took so long, but, as you can see, it's massive! I also hope you all like the changes I've made. I worked my but off to get this chapter finished. The next one should be up in a week or two. Again, it's another long one. The same chapter warnings will apply. Also, I'm sorry if the times are a little inconsistent in the chapter. IW takes place over two days and I have no clue how long it took characters to travel to some places, nor how long Thor and Loki were floating in space after Thanos attacked the Statesman. So… sorry.

As well, now that you're done this chapter, I recommend watching this

w atch?v=Mq3n0EFQqic&list=PLY- Mirc3qLxNy5G3A0vCFCV2hVs7mSyZN&index=30

I promise it's good.

Until next time- Shadows


	29. and Beyond

I'm hoping that you all paid attention to the last chapter because this one picks off right where that one left off. Also, I hope you all were paying attention to details because some things that have been referenced in that past are now super important. Also, yes, I have taken some liberties with the Soul Stone. This isn't the comics and we don't know a whole lot about the MCU stone. So there. Well… either way, ENJOY!

Also a warning for gore. There's a fair bit in the next 2 chapters.

* * *

"Oh, Peter. You're ok. It's alright Bambino." Soothed Tony as he hugged his son, the two of them sat together on the ground.

Now that the battle was over, Peter's adrenaline was plummeting and shock was beginning to take over. It worried Tony. He just wanted his son to be alright and seeing his son crying and shaking in his arms just broke Tony's heart.

To make matters worse, Tony was still bleeding out from the stab wound. It was slow, but he was still bleeding and Tony was starting to feel light headed. Tony just held Peter close and felt his son begin to relax a bit. Having his father close and the warmth and love surrounding him helped Peter begin to feel a bit better. And, now that Tony knew that his son was uninjured and beginning to calm down he could focus just a bit on some more pressing issues.

Strange was the first to realize that there was something seriously wrong with Tony. His face was stark white and he had a cold sweat. It made Strange's doctor sensibilities flare up. He was on his feet in no time and fussing over Tony. Peter hovered close to Tony's good side while Strange got to work on checking Tony over.

All the fussing got everyone else's attention, and soon enough, Tony was being fussed over by everyone else. Drax and Nebula weren't really doing much. They just stood off to the side. Quill was quick to run back to his ship so that he could look for medical supplies. Unfortunately, the ship was completely destroyed and all the medical supplies were scattered. That just left Strange and Loki actually being able to work.

Tony was trying so hard not to black out from pain and to not get stuck in a flashback from Afghanistan. It was hard. The pain of Strange cleaning the wound with magic was almost unbearable. It took everything Tony had in him not to scream. That was when Mantis came in. She held onto Tony's free hand and used her powers to lull Tony into a more peaceful state. Not one that would cause him to fall asleep, but one that lessened the pain and stopped Tony from thrashing around. Loki was the last to step in. He sacrificed some of his own healing magic to help Tony replenish some of his lost blood and to seal the wound.

It wasn't a permanent fix and would only last a few days, but it was better then the nanites Tony was using before. The Cloak of Levitation helped to support Tony so that he could sit up a bit and talk to the others.

"Well, this sucks." Was the first thing Tony said once he got his bearings.

"I hate to be the bringer of bad news, but this fight is far from over." Spoke Strange as he finished using magic to clean the blood off his hands.

"Yeah Strange, what the hell. You said we needed to keep me alive to save the universe and to keep Thanos from getting the stones yet YOU gave him one! What the hell was that about?!" shouted Tony before he winced from the pain in his side.

"I did what I needed too to keep us on the track to winning this. This fight isn't over yet and we still need you alive to win." Countered Strange as he looked back at Tony.

"Why do you need me alive. What's so important that you need me?" asked Tony as he leaned down a bit to pull Peter back into a hug.

"Tony…" Strange hesitated a second before looking Tony straight in the eyes. "You have the last Infinity Stone. The Soul Stone."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN I HAVE THE SOUL STONE?!" shouted Tony before he devolved into a coughing fit.

"That would make sense." Spoke up Loki. "I couldn't touch you with the Mind Stone back in New York and the only way to hold off an Infinity Stone is with another stone."

"Wait, so you mean to tell us that this dude here has had the Soul Stone this entire time! We could have used that!" remarked Quill as he waved his hands around wildly.

"I didn't even know I had it." Whispered Tony as he looked down at his hands. "Is this what you saw Strange?"

"It is. This is how we win. It's all on you"

"I don't know anything about the stone. How am I supposed to use it when I don't know anything about it?"

"I happen to know a few things." Interjected Loki as he took a seat on the ground next to Peter and Tony.

"You know things Mr. Loki?" asked Peter from his place tucked in his Dad's arms.

"I know many things, but I'm assuming you are referring to the Soul Stone." Peter nodded and Quill just looked up.

"Is that what you told Gamora and me back on the ship?"

"But of course," Loki smirked but began explaining to the rest of the group.

"I don't know too much about the stone, just stories I've heard on my travels when I was younger. Legend has it that the Soul Stone binds itself to one who it considers having a pure soul. Only those it deems worthy may wield the stone's power."

"Well, I can name at least a hundred people who would disagree with that "pure soul" crap." Murmured Tony as he looked down at his hands. This all seemed ridiculous to him.

"So… what are the powers of the Soul Stone?" asked Quill as he and the other Guardians took a seat as well.

"Nobody knows. All that I know now is that we should keep Stark safe long enough for us to get that gauntlet from Thanos so that he may use the stones and stop this madness."

Tony looked at everyone sitting there with him on the red ground of Titan. He hated how this whole situation seemed to ride on him figuring out this stone. He didn't need more death and destruction on his conscience if he didn't figure this all out.

"Have I mentioned that I hate all of this. I think that's important to note." Spoke Tony. Everyone else nodded. They all hated this and were ready for all the fighting to end.

MTHS

"What happened?! Where's Thanos!?" shouted Gamora as she emerged from her hiding spot in the woods.

Thor looked up from where he stood. His axe rested bloodied on the ground. It had fallen from Thanos' chest when the Titan made a portal and escaped through it. Horrible, ugly sobs could be heard from just behind him. Wanda was curled protectively over Vision's body. Everyone else was slowly getting up from where they had fallen. When Thanos had used the Time Stone to take the Mind Stone from Vision, everyone else had been freed and healed from the damage they had taken earlier.

"He's gone." Spoke Thor as he turned to address the group.

"He is not the only one who is gone." Interjected T'Challa as Okoye helped him to his feet. "I have just gotten word from M'Baku back on the field. All of the invading forces have been turned to dust. There is nothing left."

Everyone looked surprised. Thanos had ended their fight her in Wakanda for them, but there was still so much left to fight for.

"We need to find Tony and Peter. We need Tony to help end this fight and I need to find my son." Spoke Steve as a stray tear fell from his eye. The sincerity made everyone else's heartbreak.

"I agree, this fight is far from over and we need Tony's help. He knows this Thanos guy pretty well from his visions. He's our best chance." Added Clint once he had joined the group.

"Does anyone have any ideas on where to start though?" Asked Rhodey, who, like Steve, was more than eager to get his family back.

Everyone just sort of stood around thinking for a minute. Nobody really knew where that doughnut ship was heading when it left Earth's atmosphere and neither Rocket nor Groot had heard anything about the fate of the rest of their team. Nobody spoke, they just looked at each other in different states of shock and confusion. Until Gamora stepped forward.

"We need to go to Titan."

"What's on Titan?" asked Thor.

"Titan is where Nebula and the others are. It was Thanos' home planet. They should still be there. If we hurry we can all meet up and figure out a plan." Explained Gamora

"Do you think Tony could be there?" asked Steve, his voice full of hope.

"There's a chance. He was after stones so why not bring them to an area where he thinks he has the upper hand."

"Then it is decided. We must head to Titan." Declared Thor. "Once everyone is prepared I'll take us there."

So, everyone got to work. They called Shuri down to take a quick look at Rhodey and Bruce's armour. Everything seemed to be in working order so she let them go. Everyone else was patching up a few wounds. T'Challa was talking with Okoye and M'Baku, making sure that the fallen warriors were taken care of. He decided that Okoye would stay in Wakanda to help protect the throne, while T'Challa left with the rest of the group. Steve, even with his mind going crazy with worry and grief, walked over to the still sobbing Wanda to see how she was doing.

"I'm so sorry Wanda." Whispered Steve as he knelt down next to her.

"He was your family too." Sniffled Wanda as she tried desperately to stop crying.

"That doesn't make your pain any less valid."

"I know… It's just…" Wanda gestured around and Steve pulled her into a hug, offering what little comfort he could in the face of death and destruction.

"Wanda… are you feeling up to coming with the rest of us. Nobody will blame you if you stay behind." Asked Steve as he looked over at the fallen body of Vision. A few tears prickled in his eyes but Steve didn't let them fall.

"I'm coming. I need to avenge Vision. Thanos will pay for what he's done." Spat Wanda through her tears. Steve nodded and helped her up before the two walked towards where to rest of the group was standing.

With a promise from Okoye to place Vision's body somewhere safe, everyone else huddled closer to Thor and got ready to depart. With a flash of rainbow light, Thor summoned the Bifrost and they all took off on their way to Titan.

MTHS

Back on Titan, the sun hung high in the sky and the ground was beginning to stain everyone's clothes red. Tony was still seated on the ground with Peter at his side. Loki and Strange were close by, keeping a watchful eye on Tony and making sure he didn't move around too much unless it was absolutely necessary. The Guardians were scrounging around for their belongings in the wreckage of their ship. Actually, the mood on Titan was pretty gloomy. Nobody knew how to get back to Earth and most of them were nursing wounds.

So, with nothing better to do, they just sat there and talked. Peter got into a conversation with Loki about his magic. Normally Tony would object to his kid talking to a once villain, but he was exhausted and in pain. He had more important things to worry about. So, Tony sat there, covered in dirt and blood and contemplated his life. He just wanted to go back home. He wanted to be with his family. He wanted Peter to be safe and back at school. He wanted Carter to tell him about his day. He wanted to cuddle up with his husband and just let his worries wash away like the dirt on his hands. He just wanted to feel safe again. Tony was very very deep in thought when he was pulled out of his head by a flash of rainbow light in the distance.

"What the HELL was that?!" shouted Quill as he drew his blaster and aimed it at the spot over the hill.

"Wait! Quill! Don't attack! That's the Bifrost! That's Thor!" shouted Tony as he saw figures appear on the horizon.

The glint of a shield was the first thing that Tony and Peter saw and Peter shot up a few webs to let the newcomers know where they were. The second the figures rounded over the hill, Steve went running. It took a matter of seconds before the little family was reunited in a hug. Steve was kissing Peter's head and Tony was clinging onto his husband for dear life. All three of them were crying.

"I thought I'd lost you two." Whispered Steve. His lifted his head up and ran a hand through Tony's hair.

"You nearly did. I'm so sorry Honey." Replied Tony in a similar pained whisper. Steve's eyes widened and he pulled both Tony and Peter in closer. None of them were paying attention to the others around them.

"What happened Darlin'? You're hurt! What happened?" asked Steve as he looked over his husband.

"Stabbed through the side with my own tech." Tony let out a weak cough. "Loki and Strange fixed what they could… but I still have to fight, so…"

Steve just responded by leaning down and giving Tony a kiss. Peter curled up closer to his parents and closed his eyes in comfort. Meanwhile, Quill and Gamora were having a reunion while Nebula explained why she didn't tell Quill that Gamora was alive. But Tony and Steve weren't paying attention to that. They were just happy that the other was alive.

"Carter?" Asked Tony once Steve pulled back a bit from their embrace.

"He fine. He's safe. The compound was untouched." Tony nodded and sighed in relief.

Everyone else was talking and introducing themselves to each other while the Starks had their little reunion. Thor had to explain to the rest of the Avengers that Loki was fine to be around. It was Quill who decided to break the little family's bubble and introduce himself.

"The name's Star-Lord, Legendary Outlaw."

"Captain America." Replied Steve as he took Quill's hand and gave it a firm shake.

"Wait…you're THE Steve Rogers! The real Captain America! I had comic books about you as a kid! You're a legend!" fanboyed Quill as he looked back at Steve with awe.

"It's Stark actually. We got married back in October." Smirked Steve. He always had fun on correcting people on his last name since he'd gotten married.

"Wait a second… You two are…?" Quill gestured between Tony and Steve and the pair just smiled.

"What has happened here?" asked Thor as he interrupted everyone's introductions.

"We fought Thanos." Came Loki's reply. The new arrivals eye's widened.

"You… fought Thanos?" came Steve's shocked reply as he looked back at his husband.

"We started off fighting him together in an attempt to get the gauntlet off." Explained Tony, "But then Quill lost his cool and we got blown all over the place. Strange here started fighting the bastard one on one. I didn't see a lot of it. I was a bit… preoccupied."

"Didn't Titan used to have a moon?" asked Thor as he looked at Tony and Loki. Tony just let out a small chuckle and looked up.

"Thanos threw it at me. It broke, I didn't. Well… I broke a few ribs but that's beside the point."

"Tony, where you preoccupied… because of the moon?" queried Steve. Tony just smiled sheepishly and continued his explanation.

"Well, to continue, Strange started fighting and got blown back and knocked out and I wasn't about to let Peter get too involved so I jumped in." Tony took in a deep breath before he continued. "Thanos knew me too and we started fighting and… things got bad. I managed to get in a hit that cut his face… but it wasn't enough. I still got stabbed and we lost the Time Stone. I wasn't enough. I… I just wasn't enough." By the end, Tony was whispering and a few tears had fallen from his eyes.

"No Baby, no." cooed Steve. "This wasn't your fault. Thanos made his own decision and you tried your best. I'm just glad you're alive Darlin'."

"What happened with you guys?" spoke up Peter from his place next to his parents.

So, everyone got to explaining what happened. Sam explained what had happened in Scotland while Rhodey explained what had gone down back at the compound with the UN. Thor went on to explain his little adventure to Nivadellir while Hope and T'Challa told them all about the battle that had taken place in Wakanda. When they got to the end, the part where Thanos had arrived, everyone got suspiciously quiet and Wanda's hands started to flicker with red. Tony furrowed his eyebrows and looked back at the rest of the group from his place on the ground. Everyone was there. Everyone except Vision.

"Guys… where's Vision?" asked Tony. Nobody could look him in the eyes.

"I'm serious guys, where's Vision. Guys…" Tony's voice trailed off as he looked at everybody. He knew in his soul that he was about to receive some bad news, but he wanted to hold out hope for just a little bit longer.

"He's dead. Thanos got him." Came Clint's sombre reply.

"Great this is just great. My grandson is dead and now that purple bastard has 5 of the stones!" shouted Tony as his eyes filled with tears. He just felt so angry over this whole situation.

"We need to find that last one. Anybody have any ideas" asked Scott as he looked over the group. Tony just lowered his eyes to the ground but still spoke up.

"Apparently I have it. Strange says it's part of me. That I've had it my whole life or at least for a very long time. Apparently, I'm worthy."

Everyone who wasn't there for Strange's original explanation stared at Tony. The fact that someone they knew, someone who was family, had that elusive stone. It was unbelievable. Steve just held Tony closer and buried his face him his husband's neck.

"Look, guys, I know this is surprising. Hell, I'm as surprised as you are. But Thanos is going to come back to get my stone so we need a plan." Argued Tony before he devolved into a bit of a coughing fit that sent Strange and Loki checking the genius over again.

While Tony was being checked over, Steve looked over at Peter. His son was sitting in the dirt and observing the whole situation. This was no fight for a child. Peter shouldn't have even been here in the first place. He should have been on that field trip and laughing with his friends, not stuck on a planet just having fought a genocidal maniac! Peter needed to be back home.

"Hey, Thor." Thor looked over at Steve and nodded. "Can you send Peter back to the compound?"

"Of course I can. I'd be happy to."

"Send Groot back with him." Added Rocket as he pushed the tree forward.

"I am Groot!"

"I don't care if you fought with us like 20 minutes ago. This is the big fight and you're not staying!"

"Wait! Dad, Pops! You can't send me back! I need to help. I HAVE to help!" complained Peter as he looked between his parents with pleading eyes.

"Peter, you're going home and that's final. We need you to go back to the compound and protect the others. Protect your brother." Stressed Steve as he rested a hand on Peter's shoulder. Peter just nodded but didn't move.

"If we don't come back in two weeks ask FRIDAY what to do, alright Petey Pie. And you let Carter know that his Daddy and Papa love him." Added Tony as he brushed his hand through Peter's hair. Peter fell into his parents and started heading up.

"I love you Dad. I love you Pops." Cried the teen as his parents held him close and showered him with love.

With one last hug from his parents, Peter walked over to where Groot was. The teens gave a final wave as the light of the Bifrost enveloped them and they were sent back to the compound. With the kids gone, only the battle-hardened adults remained on the desolate planet. Slowly, everyone started to take a seat on the ground. They were all exhausted from their earlier fights and having a moment to rest would make all the difference in the coming fight.

"So… does anyone have any ideas on what the fuck we should do next?" asked Sam after a few moments of awkward silence.

Sam's question was met with more silence. Nobody really knew what to do. Well, they knew that they had to get the gauntlet off of Thanos and give it to Tony, but nobody really knew how to do that. Thanos had five of the stones. He was more or less unstoppable.

"Alright," piped up Loki, "Let's start with the obvious and work from there. Stark is still too injured to fight and we can't let Thanos near him anyway. If Thanos kills him and gets the Soul Stone, we've lost."

"So we should hide him?" asked Bucky. The rest of the group shared a nod.

"But where? This whole place is decimated and Thanos has five stones!" piped in Gamora.

"If we keep Thanos' attention on us, maybe he won't notice?" pondered Scott. Hope just shrugged.

"That could work, but we'd need to be careful."

"Should we even hide him alone? What if he gets ambushed? The guy's injured. He can't fight off Thanos." Asked Rocket as he pointed a finger back at Tony.

"If the wound is stable it shouldn't be too bad. The sooner this fight is over the sooner we can all get medical attention." Replied Bruce as he ran a critical eye over Tony.

"I absolutely love the fact that you're all talking about me like I'm not even here. Let's continue with that, shall we?" snarked Tony as he interrupted the conversation.

"Tony Darlin', we didn't mean too. We're just worried. Hell, I'm worried." Soothed Steve as he curled closer to Tony. Tony just lowered his gaze. He was scared sure, but he wanted some sort of say in what was to come.

"So, what do we do? I just hide somewhere while the rest of you risk your lives! That doesn't seem fair."

"We need a plan of attack. We can fight all we want but that gauntlet has to come off for us to win." Spoke up Strange. He had been meditation again in an effort to come up with some ideas.

"If I can get close, I could put him to sleep again. If we all pull on the gauntlet this time, it will work better." Spoke up Mantis, who, for the most part, had remained silent through all of the commotion.

From there, the Avengers and Guardians began drawing up a loose battle plan. Steve would help Tony over to hide behind a thick outcropping of rocks and debris. Tony would stay there until they got the gauntlet off as he worked to get the Soul Stone out of his body. Meanwhile, T'Challa and Thor would command the battle until Steve returned. Other than Nebula and Gamora, Steve had some of the most information about Thanos due to what Tony had relayed to him. They would work to try and get Mantis close enough to get Thanos under again. And once the gauntlet was off, it would be game over for Thanos.

So with that all decided, it was time to get into their places. They didn't know how long they had until Thanos arrived back on Titan and they needed to make the most of it.

"Wait, Tones!" called out Rhodey just as Steve was helping Tony up.

"What's up Honey bear?" asked Tony. He tried to keep his voice light in an attempt not to let on how scared he really was.

"You get that stone out, alright. And you'd better not die in the process."

"Same goes for you Platypus."

Tony took a moment to give Rhodey and hug, and Rhodey gave Steve a pat on the arm. They were family, and family doesn't let each other die. All too soon, Rhodey was flying off to get into position. Steve held Tony close and helped him hobble over to the hiding spot they had chosen. Steve cleared a bit of debris out of the way so that Tony had a place to sit down.

Just as Steve and Tony had gotten into position, a cloudy blue-grey portal opened up right where the rest of the Avengers and Guardians were. The Mad Titan stepped out and surveyed the area. He was face to face with everyone who he'd fought that day. He smirked and let out a quiet chuckle as he looked at those who stood to oppose him. His eyes settled on Gamora, his favourite daughter. His eyes widened in shock. He killed her! She should be dead at the bottom of a chasm on Vormir as penance for lying to him about the whereabouts of the Soul Stone.

"My Gamora… I thought that I killed you."

"You killed an illusion. But now, you're the one who's going to die."

Thanos looked around the broken remains of his planet once more. Out of all the foes who stood now to oppose him, there was one who was lacking.

"Where is Stark?" asked the Titan, all too calm in his delivery. Tony and Steve winced from their hiding spot. Tony needed to stay hidden until they got the gauntlet. It was the only way they even had a chance of winning.

"He died of his wounds." Came Loki's reply. Thanos just smiled. He'd didn't buy the lie for even a second.

"I know that you've hidden him. Let's see how long he stays hiding when he sees his friends start to die."

And with that declaration, all havoc was let loose. There was screaming and people shouting commands and Tony felt utterly helpless. He looked over at Steve and the two shared a look, both knowing exactly what had to be done.

"Tony. Anthony. I love you so much. Just remember that, ok. No matter what happens…"

"Remember I love you." Finished Tony. Steve launched himself at Tony and captured his husband's lips in a passionate kiss. If this was going to be the last kiss they ever shared, then it was going to be one filled with all the love they could muster.

Steve gently pulled away and brought his hand up to cup Tony's cheek. They looked back at each other for a second before Steve began crawling through the wreckage. He needed to get away from Tony so that when he leapt out to attack, he wouldn't give away his location.

With a scream of rage, Steve jumped into the fight and was lucky enough to hit Thanos' in the shin with his shield. He got right into leader mode and instantly took command over the battlefield. The whole situation was chaotic. Thanos was deflecting all of Strange, Loki, and Wanda's spells and enchantments with one hand, while the other threw punches and large rocks.

Rocket was the first to fall victim to Thanos. He was crushed under one of the rocks that was getting thrown about. His death spurred the remaining Guardians into more aggressive actions. Drax rushed towards Thanos with a deep, booming, war cry. His blades were drawn and ready to strike Thanos the second he got close. He didn't even come close. Thanos used the Power Stone to stab the warrior through the heart with a fallen piece of metal.

"How the hell do I do this?" cried Tony. His voice barely coming above a whisper. He was frustrated with himself. He was frustrated over the situation at hand. He was frustrated with life.

Tony could hear the screams and shouts coming from the field and his heart sunk. He heard a cry that most definitely came from Rhodey. Tony worried for a moment, thinking that his brother was dead. He was corrected a second later when he heard the sound of repulsor blasts and Rhodey calling someone a bitch. The only fighting that Tony could actually see was Scott. The man had turned himself into a 63 story version of himself and was attempting to kick the Titan around with moderate success.

"Alright Tony, focus. Focus so you can get the stone out and end this."

Back on the field, things weren't going to great. Hope and Natasha were acting as a shield in an attempt to let Mantis in to get Thanos sleeping again. It wasn't working. Bucky had long since run out of ammunition and was using whatever he could find as a weapon. Clint was starting to run low on arrows and Thor was getting exhausted. His lightning wasn't going much anymore and he couldn't get close enough to use Stormbreaker when Thanos was blasting them all with the stones. "T'Challa was struggling to stay in the game. He couldn't even get a scratch on the Titan and it was leaving his frustrated.

There was a bright flash of light and a horrible scream of pain as Strange took the full force of the Mind Stone. The Sorcerer landed on the ground with a thump, his head steaming and his chest devoid of all movement. Quill, sick and tired of all the death, was firing blast after blast only to take a fist to the face knocking him back. A sickening crunch could be heard as his right femur snapped in half.

Sam decided that he needed to get closer in order to land a hit. He had a few bullets hit Thanos in the arm before he was knocked down. Sam went tumbling down, and with an echoing crack, smashed his head against a long since crumbled building. The blood oozed out and made everyone, including Thanos, feel sick at the sight.

With a teammate down, Bruce had finally managed to convince the Hulk of the gravity of the situation. The sound of metal tearing reverberated across the landscape as Hulk broke free of the armour Bruce had been wearing. The Mad Titan soon found himself facing off against the Hulk once more.

Tony was still sitting on his knees behind the wall where Steve had left him. He could still hear his husband yelling commands at those where were still alive. That was the only solace that Tony had. That his husband and brother were still alive and his kids were safe back in Earth. Tony remained sitting as he heard Thor yelling. He didn't want to think about what was happening on the other side of the wall. Tony closed his eyes and tried to focus on drawing the Soul Stone out. He still had no idea how to do that. Tony was a man of science and there was nothing scientific about this. He tried to find some sort of focus, but it was nearly impossible with all the yelling going on. Well, Tony Stark normally does six impossible things before breakfast. He wasn't going to let this stop him.

So, Tony kept his eyes closed and tried to focus on his breathing like he was meditating. He sat there and breathed. Slowly he began to tune out all the noise and focus on just his body. What confused Tony was that nothing felt different or out of the ordinary. Well, nothing other than the pain of the stab wound and his regular background pain from the arc reactor. So Tony continued to search his body for that little something different that could possibly be the stone. He didn't get much, just little flashes of what could be the future. Tony wasn't too sure. It was hard to tell what he was seeing half the time with his powers. He just saw more blood and heard screaming and felt that horrible pain once again in his left arm. But he also felt peace. He felt almost tranquil. Like he could finally rest.

Just as Tony thought he was getting somewhere with this Soul Stone searching, the air was pierced by a blood-curdling scream. Tony's eyes flashed open just in time to see the body of Wanda land right next to him. Tony's hand flew to his mouth as tears started to fall from his eyes. Her once beautiful face was almost unrecognizable. The poor girl had taken the full force of all five stones and it showed.

Tony cried. There were no two ways around it. Tony cried. All this death was just too much for him. It hurt him right down to the core. His chest hurt and he felt something come loose inside of him. Tony didn't pay much attention to that. He needed that Stone out of his body and fast. He needed it out now!

Now.

Now!

NOW!

And just like that, the Soul Stone sat in the palm of his hand. The stone itself had a few cracks in it. Most likely from Tony's own broke old soul. But Tony didn't have time to ponder that fact. He didn't even have time to think about the science of this situation. That didn't matter. What mattered now was getting the gauntlet off of Thanos now that they were all running on borrowed time. So, Tony sucked in a deep breath, pushed himself up, and walked out of his hiding spot and into the line of fire.

"HEY DOUCHE FACE!"

Thanos looked over from where he was looking and stared Tony right in the eyes. In that moment, all the fighting came to a standstill. This absolutely wasn't part of the plan. Tony was supposed to stay hidden and protect the stone! Nobody knew what to do. Steve started to walk over to his husband but found that he couldn't. It was like something was holding him back.

"It's nice of you to join us Stark." Came Thanos' deep voice. "Look around you. All this death and pain could have been avoided if you had just given me the stone."

"You know that I have it?"

"I didn't. But you just confirmed my suspicions." Tony swore under his breath.

"Well… you're not getting it." Tony snapped back.

"Now Stark, you know that's not true. I will get that stone and everyone here will cease to exist. You'll be here, all alone. Just like you always have been." Thanos sneered but Tony held strong.

"Here's where you're wrong Thanos. I'm not alone." Tony took a second, just a second to look around before he saw an opening.

"NOW!"

On his command, Gamora and Nebula took advantage of Thanos being distracted and pounced. Gamora was quick to stab Thanos in the neck while Nebula worked the gauntlet off. Thanos was too distracted by the dagger being pushed further into his neck to do much more than struggle. With Thanos struggling, it made Nebula's job even harder. So, in a last ditch effort to keep Thanos still, Nebula pulled out one of her own knives and stuck it in Thanos' heart. The Titan let out a scream and instantly retaliated and pulled the knife from his chest, stabbing Nebula in the process. But Nebula wasn't done fighting.

Using the last of her strength, she managed to get the gauntlet off of Thanos' hand. With her dying breath, Nebula threw the gauntlet as hard as she could in Tony's direction. Everyone waited and held their breath as the gauntlet soared through the air. Gamora continued to push her knife deeper into Thanos' neck to make sure that he stayed down, but even she was nervous. As the gauntlet got closer, Tony launched himself forward with outstretched arms. He caught the gauntlet and instantly slid it onto his left arm. It was almost comically large on him and sat from his mid-bicep down. But Tony didn't care about that. He opened his right hand and allowed the Soul Stone to attach itself to the space open on the gauntlet. Tony gritted his teeth as he felt tremendous energy surge through him. He wanted to scream but didn't allow himself. Once the energy calmed down, Tony took a second to looked at his hand. Right then, right at that moment, Tony was the most powerful being in the universe. And he was going to use that power to protect the ones he loved.

"My turn." Smirked Tony as he snapped his fingers with the now completed gauntlet.

The world went white as energy crackled through the air and Tony was thrown back with the force of it.

* * *

So, what do y'all think about the Avengers Endgame trailer? For the record, I'm a crying mess over it. My poor baby is stuck in space, literally starving and running out of O2. Captain Marvel better rescue him and give him a hug and some food. He needs it so badly. Also, they'd better give us the reunions we deserve. Stony need to makeup, Tony needs to get back to Pepper and Rhodey, and Tony needs a god damn nap.

In story news, I hope that at least a few of you caught my Hitchhikers Guild to the Galaxy reference. I thought it was funny. Well, that's all I really have to say about this chapter. Sorry for another cliffhanger, but it's way too fun watching y'all freakout. So, until next time- Shadows


	30. Turn it to ash

Hello friends, it's chapter warning time. This chapter deals with gore and so many emotions. Also, look out towards the end for an appearance from a new character that I think you'll enjoy. So, with that, happy reading.

Also, happy 2019 everyone!

* * *

Tony felt like he was floating. He also felt like he was laying down on something solid. It was a weird sensation. Tony also noticed that his head hurt. It was a bit like a migraine. Probably from the bright light that was seeping through his closed eyes.

At that thought, Tony pried his eyes open and looked around. He obviously wasn't on Titan anymore. In fact, Tony felt like he wasn't… well… anywhere. The world around him was just… white. Tony sat up and looked down. He knew that he was sitting on something, but there wasn't anything there. There was only white for as far as he could see.

It was also silent where he was. It was so silent that Tony could hear his own breathing. It was disconcerting. Honestly, Tony was scared. He was all alone in the strange place. He had no idea where he was, but he knew that Steve and the others weren't here with him. Tony was just about to fall into a full blown panic attack when he heard a voice come from behind him.

"Mio caro Antonio. Il mio Bambino. Come mi sei mancato."

Tony's head whipped around. He knew that voice! Sure, he hadn't heard it in a long time, but he knew that voice.

"Mom!"

It didn't take Tony long to scramble to his feet and go running towards his long-lost parent. Tony had fallen into her waiting arms and mother and son shared their first hug in over 25 years. Tony didn't even try to hide his tears. He'd missed his Mom so damn much. He'd wished that she'd stayed behind that night in 1991 so that they'd have had more time together. He'd wished that she'd been there after Afghanistan. He'd wished that she'd been there when Carter was born when, he'd adopted Peter, when he'd married Steve. He just wished she'd been there.

"Mio Bambino. My sweet darling Anthony. You've been so brave. You've done so much and saved so many. I'm so proud of you my baby boy." Maria Stark whispered to her son and held him close.

"I've missed you so much, Mom." Cried Tony and Maria just held her son even closer.

"I know Bambino, but you've done so much. You've done well. You have a wonderful family, two amazing kids, and a good husband. You've done so much."

"I wish you'd been there Mom."

"I wish so too my darling. And so do some of the others."

"What others?" asked Tony as he slowly pried himself out of his mother's arms and took a look around.

While Tony had been clinging to his mother, a few other familiar faces had started to mill around close by. To Tony's right were Edwin and Ana Jarvis, who waved at Tony with bright smiles. Next to them was Peggy Carter, who Tony hadn't seen since her funeral 2 years ago. She looked so much more youthful and joyful then she had when she'd passed. Almost directly in front of Tony was Ho Yinson, the very same man who had saved Tony's life back in Afghanistan. He was smiling like the others and he looked much healthier than he had back in that cave.

Next to Yinson were Wanda and Pietro Maximoff. The siblings looked over the moon to be reunited. Although, Tony couldn't help but let loose a few tears for Wanda. He'd only just seen her disfigured dead body moments ago. He couldn't just forget something like that. Standing on Wanda's right was Vision. He was whole and happy. Sam was nearby Vision. He was giving Tony this dorky smile like he normally did when they were planning pranks against Bucky and Clint. To Tony's far left was Nebula, Strange, Rocket, and Drax. They all looked healthy and whole again despite having just been in a fight to save the universe.

And that's when things really clicked for Tony. All these people were dead. All of them. Tony wanted to scream and shout that he wasn't dead or that this couldn't be true. Maybe this was just one of his visions. But that didn't feel right. None of his vision had ever been this clear. This felt too real to be a vision. No, this whole thing felt almost… peaceful. There was a certain tranquillity in the air that just made Tony feel at peace. Like he was back home.

"If you're all here… does this mean I'm dead?" asked Tony after a few moments.

"Of course not silly boy. You've been one with the Soul Stone for so long that you've been given the chance to commune with some of those who are lost within it." Smiled Jarvis as he walked closer and enveloped Tony in a long-awaited hug.

"I never wanted any of you to die. I wish I could have protected you." Whispered Tony as he pulled away from Jarvis and looked out over the group of people gathered around him.

"You did Stark. Time after time you did, and it was our time to protect you. You saved the universe. It was worth it." Wanda smiled as she walked up to Tony and gave his right arm a little squeeze.

"Dude, you've done so much for everyone. Hell, you even tried your best to protect me and my sister." Spoke Pietro as he too walked up to Tony. "I should thank you by the way. After all the horrible things we said and did, you still gave my sister a home and a family. You gave her a reason to keep going. Thank you for that."

"I may not have known you long, but it is clear that you fight for the good of others. I feel honoured to have gotten the chance to have met you." Spoke Drax in his normal louder than necessary voice. The statement made Tony feel a little better about the whole situation, but not by much.

"I still don't like that you all died. None of this should have even happened in the first place." Tony still couldn't manage much more than a whisper. He wasn't good with emotions most of the time.

"Everything dies Tony. It was our time to go. Don't let that keep you from living. You still have so much to live for." Ana smiled and pulled Tony away from Jarvis and into a hug of their own. Tony welcomed the hug and was brought back to sunny days from his childhood when Ana would teach him about flowers in the garden when Howard was away.

"That doesn't mean I have to like it." Grumbled Tony as he let Ana hug him tighter.

"We all have to do things we don't like Stark. Those experiences shape us into who we are. I doubted you at first Stark, but you saved the universe. Thanos is gone because of you." Spoke Strange with all the wisdom that was expected of the Sorcerer Supreme.

"You guys all helped. Hell, I couldn't have even gotten the gauntlet if it wasn't for Nebula." Argued Tony as he gestured over to the cyborg warrior.

"I died taking that monster down. I'm happy with that. Just make sure that Gamora doesn't take it too hard."

"What about you Sam! You still had so much going for you!" Cried out, Tony. He was having a hard time keeping his emotions in check.

"I admit. Being dead is craptastic. You'll have to let my Mom and sisters know what happened. I trust you to make sure they stay safe." Tony just nodded and Sam knew that Tony would keep his promise.

"I must say," spoke us Vision as he walked towards Tony and pulled him into a hug, "that even though I may not have been around for that long. I'm glad that I was. I may not remember being JARVIS, but I will always remember being family. I'm glad I got that chance." Vision smiled and Tony returned the hug. Vision was family. He always would be.

"You'd better tell my team to keep an eye on Groot for me. I don't want my kid rotting his brain with all those video games." Snarked Rocket. Tony nodded towards the Raccoon. He agreed. Teenagers didn't need to spend all their time on their screens. He should know, he had two kids.

Next to walk up to Tony was Yinson. The man embraced Tony like a brother and Tony hugged him back. It had been years since they'd first met in that cave in Afghanistan. It felt like a lifetime ago.

"I'm glad you took my advice Stark. You didn't waste your life at all. I'm proud that you've found your place in the world. And, I must thank you. I never thought that there would ever be an element named after me. You've done good Stark. Be proud of yourself."

Yinson moved back a bit and soon Tony was enveloped in another hug. This time by his Aunt Peggy. When Peggy had died two years prior, Tony had been devastated. That whole entire week had been rough, what with the whole Ross situation and being put into a medically induced coma due to trauma. Tony missed her so much, but he was glad that she had had the opportunity to meet Carter and to be reunited with Steve.

"I'm so proud of you my Little Ducky. You've raised your boys right and you've kept your family safe. Now that this battle is over, you can be safe. That's all I ever wanted for you. You're safe now my Little Ducky. You're safe now." Soothed Peggy as she ruffled Tony's hair. Tony just nodded but still let loose a few tears. His arm was hurting something awful and it was really starting to affect him. Tony winced and his mother was at his side at an instant.

"What is wrong Mio Bambino?"

"My arm. Mom… it hurts." Tony was trying not to cry harder than he already was. He was also trying not to panic. The pain in his arm felt identical to the pain he'd felt in that vision a few months back.

"That means our time here together is almost up Antonio." Whispered Maria and Tony looked up with sad eyes. He didn't want to have to say goodbye.

"You've done so much for the universe. It's time that you get something in return. So here you go my Bambino. We're giving you more time." Maria Stark smiled and gave her son one last kiss on the cheek before letting him go. "I love you, my sweet child. Never forget that."

The world dissolved into white once more, but Tony couldn't help but smile, knowing that his friends and family could now rest easy.

MTHS

When Tony had snapped his fingers in the gauntlet, everyone left standing had been thrown back with the force of the energy that had been released. When Steve came to, the world was bright and the smell of burnt flesh permeated the air. What caused Steve to sit up and look around, even though he was dazed, was the sound of utterly gut wrenched screaming. And it as a very familiar scream.

"TONY!" shouted Steve as he struggled to his feet and looked around. He could see the bodies of his fallen friends laying in pools of their own blood while the others who were still alive slowly got to their feet. Off to the side was the body of Thanos, unmoving and sizzling. That was the source of the burnt flesh scent was coming from.

It didn't take long for Steve's eyes to land on Tony. His husband was laying on the ground and absolutely screaming in agony. Steve ran as fast as he could over to Tony and landed at his side. Tony was screaming while tears rolled down his face. Said face was contorted in pain while his legs kicked the ground and spasmed. Tony's left arm, the arm that had the gauntlet, was fried to a crisp.

"Tony! Tony! Anthony! Sweetheart! Oh god!" Steve was panicking. He had no idea what to do. He was in shock and he was scared. They'd dealt with life-threatening injuries in the past, but nothing like this. Nothing ever like this.

So, Steve did the only thing he really could do. He tried his best to calm Tony down. Truth be told, there wasn't much he could do. Tony writhing and screaming in pain meant that he was awake and not potentially falling into a coma. That still didn't make Steve feel any better. So, he gently ran his hands through Tony's hair and over his chest which thankfully still had the dog-tags and rings resting near the arc reactor. Steve also tried to get his voice under control so that he could whisper soothing words to Tony as the rest of the survivors got up and made their way over.

T'Challa was the first to make his way over and assess the situation. It didn't look good. Tony, the man who had just saved them, was screaming bloody murder and everyone else was battling broken bones and lacerations. Soon enough, everyone who was still alive was crowded around Tony and Steve. Nobody really had any clear idea on who they should do. They were all in shock and nobody was thinking clearly. After what seemed like years, T'Challa finally gained a presence of mind to speak up.

"We need to take Stark back to Wakanda. Our doctors there have the tools to save him and to heal all our other wounds." Spoke T'Challa as he addressed the group of injured warriors.

"We also need to care for our dead. We can't just leave them here." Pleaded Quill who was holding on to Gamora for dear life.

"I can use the Bifrost to get us back. We cannot stay here. Gather up the others. We will leave as soon as we can." Commanded Thor.

So, those who were able quickly gathered up the dead and brought them over to where the rest of the group was huddled. They had to leave behind Rocket. Nobody had the strength necessary to move the boulder he had been crushed under. It didn't take long before everyone was ready to go. Steve scooped a now whimpering Tony into his arms and Thor summoned the Bifrost.

They all landed back in Wakanda, in the same field they had fought in earlier. Soon enough, Steve, Thor, and T'Challa were running as fast as the could back to the palace. Steve was trying to move as gently as possible to avoid hurting Tony further. Steve hated leaving the others back on the field, but none of their injuries were life-threatening and Tony needed help NOW! T'Challa was quick to alert his medical personnel to the situation and once they got inside they were met with many doctors and a floating stretcher. Steve placed Tony down gently and soon enough the doctors and Shuri had a clear course of action.

"We need to amputate his arm. We cannot save this! It needs to be done now!" argued Shuri and Steve's face blanched.

"Amputate from where?" whispered Steve as he tried to process the situation.

"From the mid-bicep down."

When Shuri spoke those words, Steve felt like he was about to throw up. This was the same arm and the same place that Tony had felt pain during one of his visions. Steve hated that. He hated that those visions came true. He hated that Tony was in pain. He just hated. But he didn't have time to hate. He needed to save his husband.

"Thor, I need you to go back to the compound. In Tony's lab is an arm attachment. He needs that as soon as possible. Please, Thor. I know you're tired but I can't let my husband suffer." Pleaded Steve as he looked over at Tony who was being taken away by Wakandan doctors to be operated on. Shuri was waiting nearby to take the new arm when Thor retrieved it.

Thor wasn't gone long, but in the time that he was gone, Steve and Shuri had migrated to the waiting room area where some of the other Avengers were resting. Clint and Scott were there, as well as Gamora, Groot, and Mantis. Loki and Bruce were practically asleep, both exhausted after the fighting that had endured. Hope and Natasha were the ones who had quickly gotten a hold of the UN to tell them what had happened and that repairs and reports would be done as soon as everyone had recovered enough to do so. Everyone else was in a different part of the medical wing, tending to the dead with the help of some of the Wakandans.

When Thor arrived back, it was with the customary bright flash of the Bifrost. It didn't take long for both Steve and Shuri to jump to their feet to meet with the god.

"I have brought the arm as you asked Captain. I also brought Mrs. Barton and all the kids. It seemed like a good idea to have everyone together." Spoke Thor. He sounded out of breath but he held strong.

At that, both Carter and Peter went running towards their Papa while Thor handed the arm to Shuri. Shuri took off running back to the operating room while Steve cuddled his kids close. Carter was overexcited from all the excitement of the day, and soon enough, the five-year-old was sound asleep in his Papa's arms. Peter was a little bit more awake and the teen was eagerly badgering Steve for answers on what had happened after he'd been sent back. Steve was still in too much shock to do much so it was up to the others in the room to fill him in. That lead to a crying teenager and an even more upset Steve.

After about an hour, the other Avengers and Quill joined everyone in the waiting room. Doctors were moving from person to person putting bandages on wounds and splints in breaks. Through it all, everyone was mostly silent. It was a case of everyone just trying to keep each other company. Steve, Scott, and Clint cuddled their kids close while the remaining Guardians comforted Groot over the loss of Rocket and Drax.

Everyone drifted in and out of sleep. Everyone except Steve. He was too worried about his husband. Bucky and Rhodey did what they could to comfort Steve, but each man had their own worries and injuries. In fact, everyone was worried about Tony. He saved their lives. He saved the universe. It wasn't fair that he was in surgery having his arm amputated and a metal one put in its place.

T'Challa was in and out of the room. He needed to care for his people, but he also wanted to check in on the people who fought by his side. Through it all, Steve stayed wide awake and silent. He held his children close as they slept. Every once in a while, a conversation would pop up between those who were awake. Mostly trivial little things, like what movie they should watch next movie night, or the remaining Guardians telling stories of their travels. At one point T'Challa and some other Wakandans brought them all some much-needed food and water. Everyone ate in relative silence. Everyone except Steve. He kept his silence and worry as he watched his kids eat and sleep. Steve just needed his family to be safe.

After 9 hours they finally had some news on Tony.

Shuri was the one the one to break the news to everyone. When she entered the room, Steve was immediately on his feet and waiting for news. He needed to know that Tony was alive. He needed to know that his husband was safe. He needed to know…

"Captain, I am happy to report that your husband is alive." Steve let out his breath at the news. Tony was alive. That was all that mattered.

"The operation was a success and we expect him to make a full recovery. He'll need to rest for a few days before we even try to activate the new arm, but we didn't have any complications." At this, everyone in the room smiled. They had all been worried that things would go wrong.

"As for that gauntlet and the Infinity Stones, we've placed gauntlet and the five stones in a secure box. You guys can deal with them later." Explained Shuri who was looking absolutely exhausted.

"Wait just a moment. There are supposed to be six stones. What happened to the sixth one?" asked Bruce who was now wide awake.

"I don't know. You'll have to ask Dr. Stark when he's feeling better. For now though, Captain, I'm sure you want to be with your husband. I'll take you to him and then I'm taking a nap."

Steve looked around a little apprehensively. He wanted so badly to go to his husband, but he didn't want to leave his kids. That was when Bucky and Rhodey came to the rescue. Both offered to keep an eye on Peter and Carter. With that problem sorted, Steve allowed himself to be lead by Shuri to the room where Tony was recovering in. Shuri took the time to explain what they had done and what to expect when Tony woke up. Everyone in the medical wing was ready to respond in the event that Tony's pain got out of control.

The second Shuri opened the door to Tony's room, Steve made a be-line to his husband's side. Steve was crying and brushing the hair off of Tony's forehead as he slept on. Steve was so absorbed in being reunited with his husband, that he didn't notice Shuri taking her leave. Tony was the only thing he cared about at that moment.

As Steve kept vigil at Tony's bedside, he finally got a good look at his husband now that the battle was over. Tony was breathing without assistance, just a steady stream of oxygen to keep the count up. Tony's new arm was attached about mid-bicep, although Steve could hardly see it due to all the bandages and supports keeping the arm in place and comfortable. When Steve got a good look at Tony's face, he was taken completely by surprise. Before the final fight against Thanos, Tony's face had been covered in dirt and cuts. There used to be scars running over his eyes from back when they fought Ultron. Tony used to have smile lines and a few wrinkles. He used to have just a little bit of grey hair in his facial hair and at his temples.

All of those things were gone.

Tony was still there, Steve knew that for sure. But Tony also looked different. He looked… younger, like he had back in his late 20's. He didn't look like a man who had fought many battles and won. He didn't look like a man who carried the sins of the world on his shoulders. No, Tony now looked like a man who was youthful and full of promise. He looked like a man who was finally granted freedom and was taking advantage of it. Tony looked… healthier.

The whole situation worried Steve a bit, but honestly, it was the least of his worries. Steve just wanted Tony to be okay. Steve stayed at Tony's side for hours, just stroking his hair and whispering words of love and encouragement. It took Tony four hours after surgery to finally wake up. When he did wake up, the first thing that he noticed was Steve. Steve was holding his hand tight and smiling a watery smile as Tony opened his eyes.

"Hey there Darlin'. I'm so glad you're awake." Cooed Steve as Tony tried to focus on his husband. He felt completely disorientated. Someone must have given him the good drugs.

"Steve?" sputtered out Tony as he used his slowly returning strength to squeeze Steve's hand.

"How are you feeling Sweetheart?"

"Like shit. We won… it's worth it." Tony smiled a bit and Steve smiled back.

"We won Anthony. You saved us all. You did it. You did it…" Steve was beginning to cry again, and that's when Tony became aware of the pain.

Tony's left arm hurt like hell. It felt like every nerve ending was on fire. Tony tried to turn his head to take a look at his arm, but Steve quickly stopped him.

"Tony Darlin', are you in pain? Do you need some more medications? Do you need the doctors?" fretted Steve. Tony just nodded and screwed his eyes shut.

It didn't take long for one of the Wakandan doctors to get there and pump Tony up with some painkillers. Steve kept Tony's attention on him so that the doctor could check the metal bonding site without Tony getting worked up. Steve needed to be the one to tell Tony about his arm. It was only right. When the doctor left, Steve decided that that was as good a moment as any to tell Tony about his arm. Except Tony beat him to it.

"Steven… My arm? What's wrong with my arm?" croaked out Tony as the meds began to take effect. Steve just lent down to kiss Tony's forehead before taking a deep breath and beginning.

"Tony, when you used the Gauntlet to kill Thanos, you um… you had a bit if a hard time using it." Steve's voice was shaking and he could tell that Tony was starting to get worked up, but he had to continue. "The Gauntlet… the Gauntlet… um… the Gauntlet burnt your arm beyond repair. The doctors… the doctors…" Steve was full on crying and Tony was trying not to join him. He knew how this story ended. He just wanted Steve to say it out loud.

"Tony. My darlin' Anthony. The doctors… They had to amputate your arm and attach your metal one. I'm so sorry Sweetheart. I'm so sorry." By the end, Steve was almost whispering and both of them were crying. Tony was in shock and Steve was an emotional wreck. Steve climbed onto the hospital bed as gently as possible to avoid jostling Tony's new arm and cuddled up to his side. They took comfort in each other in an attempt to chase away the grief and pain.

"Do you know how the kids are?" asked Tony after he'd gotten over the initial shock of the situation. He was still in shock but focusing on his kids gave Tony a bit of room to calm down.

"They're fine Tones. They're both safe and back with Rhodey and Bucky. They're safe." Tony nodded and dropped his head to rest on Steve's shoulder. The drugs were starting to take effect and soon enough, Tony had once again fallen asleep.

Now that Steve knew that Tony was safe and healing, he took the opportunity to go inform the others on what was happening. Everyone was shocked when Steve told them that Tony had lost his arm. Everyone was coping with the news in their own way. When it came to his kids, Steve had mixed reactions. Carter, for all his intelligence, didn't really understand the situation at hand. All he knew was that his Daddy was hurt again and that he had a cool metal arm now just like Uncle Bucky. Peter, on the other hand, was not taking the news well. Peter understood exactly what had happened. It broke Steve's heart to see his eldest son fighting off tears in an effort to stay strong for his little brother.

T'Challa came by and got everyone set up in a couple of rooms in the palace for the night. With everyone being absolutely exhausted, they were thankful for the king's generosity. Steve got his kids all tucked in and off to sleep with a promise from Bucky and Rhodey that they would keep an eye on them. Steve didn't go to sleep that night. He rejoined Tony in his medical room and stayed with his husband, keeping a silent watch to scare away any demons that threatened to enter his husband's dreams.

The next day, Tony was infinitely more coherent then he had been the day before. He wanted to see the kids, but they weren't allowed to visit for the next few days because of the infection risk. So, Steve took the opportunity to inform Tony of his slightly altered looks. When Tony didn't even react with any kind of confusion or fear, Steve knew that something had happened.

"My mom said that I was getting more time. Maybe the Time Stone made me younger so that's I'd have more time with you and the kids. I kind of like that." Tony smiled a bit and Steve held his flesh hand just a little bit tighter.

"I'm sorry Tony… could you repeat that?" asked Steve dumfounded. Tony just smirked and got on with his explanation.

"Right after I used the gauntlet I was transported to the Soul Stone for a few moments. I got to see them again Steve. My Mom, Ana, and Jarvis, everyone we lost. I got to see them again. They're safe now Steve. They're safe now."

Tony was all teary-eyed and emotional during his explanation. If you asked Tony later, he'd have blamed his high emotions on all the pain killers in his system. Steve on the other hand, was just confused. The logical side of his brain was telling him that Tony must be crazy or dealing with the pain killers in a weird way. But on the other hand, they really didn't know much about how some of these Infinity Stones worked. It was completely within reason that Tony had been granted more time by some of the stones. Plus, Steve like to believe that everyone they had lost was now resting easy knowing everyone they left behind was safe now.

"When they removed the gauntlet from your arm, the Soul Stone was missing. Do you know what happened to it Tones?" asked Steve after he took a moment to take in all the information that Tony had told him.

"I feel like I'm being interrogated." Said Tony with a joking smile.

"Nat told me that she needs all the answers for her report. I don't want to piss her off. She's scary when she's pissed."

"That she is." Both husbands were smirking a bit. The jokes helped lighten the atmosphere.

"So, where is the stone."

"I have it still. The Soul Stone chooses who it wants to be with. I guess it still wants to be with me."

Steve crawled up on the bed next to Tony again, both of them searching for comfort. None of this was ideal, but at least they had each other to lean on. Tony ended up falling asleep again not long after. Loosing an arm had taken a toll on the man and he needed all the rest he could get.

The next two days were filled with doctors and Shuri coming in to check on how Tony was healing. Therapy had started almost immediately with Tony bringing in his B.A.R.F. tech to help him cope with loosing his arm. The arm itself wasn't on yet. They wanted to give the bonding site time to heal a bit before they put more stress on it. Steve was also in and out of the room, splitting his time between Tony, his kids, and filing both his and Tony's reports for the UN. It was tedious work and the only thing that got him through it was knowing that Tony and the kids were alive and healing.

Soon enough, to Tony's joy, both Peter and Carter were allowed in to visit their Dad. When Steve brought the kids in, Tony's face lite up. He'd been feeling low the past few days after the battle and just being able to see his kids made a huge difference in Tony's mood.

Peter was a bit of a mess when he finally got to see his Dad. He'd come so close to loosing another parent that day on Titan, that most of Peter's tears were just out of sheer relief that he still had his family. Carter was just happy to see his Dad again after the few days he couldn't. He told Tony all about what he had learned at school and about all the art he and his cousins had done with the stuff Shuri and T'Challa had given them. Steve looked on at the whole scene with a smile. His family was together again. He could finally breathe.

While Tony spent some time with the kids, Steve was called away by Natasha and Hope. It was time for him to give his televised speech to the world on what had transpired. Steve was not looking forward to it, but the people of Earth deserved to know what had happened. Luckily, Steve wasn't the only one who was going to do any talking. Thor, Quill, and T'Challa would be there as well to help fill in the details of events that Steve was not there for.

When the cameras started rolling, Steve was the one to introduce everyone and to explain that there would be some disturbing topics in the speeches to come. He was already feeling nervous. Thor was the first to speak as he told about the destruction of Asgard, Loki's brainwashing years ago, and fighting Hulk on Sakaar. He made sure to make a few jokes to release the tension. That didn't last long as Thor got to the details about Thanos' attack on the Statesman. Thor was able to report that some of his people made it off safely and that he would like to get permission to bring them to Earth as almost all of the remaining Asgardians were children. Steve was the next to speak as he talked about meeting Dr. Strange and Wong, about Bruce's return home, and of the attack on New York by the children of Thanos. He talked about fighting even more of Thanos' children as they fought to retrieve Wanda and Vision from their vacation in Scotland. Steve also gave Tony's statement on what happened on the way to Titan on the Q ship.

Quill was next to speak. He told the camera about finding Thor and Loki floating in space after receiving the destress call. He talked about Thor going off with Rocket and Groot while Loki stayed with them on their ship to go fight Thanos on Knowhere. He talked about the fight and Thanos getting the Reality Stone and about Gamora getting taken.

Thor was next to speak again as he talked about the forge of his new weapon. It was mostly something light hearted to create a break in all the drama. T'Challa spoke after Thor, and with the help of Steve, began to give details about the battle in Wakanda. Midway through that Quill started talking about the first fight against Thanos on Titan, once again with a few statements taken from Tony about the fight. There was a back and forth for a while between what Quill said had happened and what Tony had written down for them to read. It was when they got the part where Tony had fought Thanos one on one and gotten stabbed and about the whole moon throwing thing, that everyone watching the broadcast knew that this was extremely serious.

Steve, T'Challa, and Thor continued on to the final half of the fight in Wakanda. Steve's hands started shaking and a few tears were shed as he had to announce to the world that Vision had been killed in action during that fight. The air in the room was sombre.

Thor took it upon himself to talk about the rest of the teams arrival on Titan and all the planning they did for the final fight. How they had to hide Tony until he'd gotten the Soul Stone. Everyone took turns giving what details they could about the final fight on Titan. Steve hated to be the one to announce the deaths of Sam and Wanda. He couldn't hold his tears back. Thor, Quill, and T'Challa had to take over the rest of the explanation of the battle so that Steve could calm down enough to talk about the next part.

Steve was the one to tell the world that Tony, with the help of Nebula and Gamora, was able to use the Infinity Gauntlet to permanently kill Thanos. Explaining the aftermath, however, was more difficult. Steve was very openly bawling as he had to announce that Tony's arm had been so severely damaged by the gauntlet that it had to be amputated. Steve wasn't ashamed to be crying on world wide television. His husband was hurt and that was all be cared about.

T'Challa took over the final remarks and closing statements. Steve wasn't in the position to do so as they had originally planned. The second the interview was done, Steve made a be-line back towards Tony's room. He needed the comfort of his husband and kids. It had been a long day.

Tony and Steve had spent the night comforting each other and laughing with their kids.

The next day was a huge day for Tony. It was the first time he'd be getting the arm switched on. Steve, Rhodey, and Bucky were with him in the room for support. Bucky had the most knowledge of the situation, having already gone though having an arm designed by Tony attached and activated before. He was actualy the one to talk Tony though everything.

"Shuri's going to flip the switch and cover it up with the spare plating. Once it's on you'll feel some tingling in the nerve endings. If it turns painful just tell Shuri to turn it off. Got it?" explained Bucky. Tony just nodded.

"Let's get this over with."

The second Shuri flipped the switch to activate the arm, Tony's grip on Steve's hand tightened and his eyes screwed shut. Bucky lied about the tingling. All Tony felt was pain. Unfortunately, all of Howards lessons about Stark men being made of iron decided to rear their ugly head and Tony didn't speak a word about the pain. Thankfully, it didn't last long and soon enough, Tony started to feel like he had an arm again. Tony slowly opened his eyes and looked over at his left side.

That was when Tony got the first good look at his new arm. Sure, he had designed and built the thing, but it still felt strange to him. The arm itself was almost identical to the one he made Bucky. It was silver in colour but had a few red and gold finishes. The hand had little sensors on it to simulate touch, something at was important if Tony was going to work down in the lab. The whole thing was powered by the arc reactor in his chest.

The sensation felt off to Tony. He was used to having his own arm and being able to feel things clearly. This just felt wrong. He didn't want this! All of this was just wrong. That was when Tony started to have a panic attack. Steve and Rhodey were right by his side the second it started to help him calm down. Those two knew better than anyone how to help Tony though a panic attack. It took a while to calm him down and Bucky helped a tonne on explaining all the sensations he was feeling in the new arm.

After a while, and a quick talk with one of the Wakandan therapists, Tony was ready to try out the arm a bit. It was important that they got it moving to that they new everything was working. They started physical therapy right away so that Tony could learn to use his new arm. And through it all, Steve never left his side unless he had to. And Tony had a great incentive to get better. He had two amazing children who needed him and a husband who loved him. That was enough to keep Tony going.

MTHS

It took Tony nine days after the defeat of Thanos before he was ready to leave medical and rejoin the team. Even with the arm turned on and functional, Shuri still requested that Tony wear a sling to support the still healing amputation sight. Tony didn't even try to fight the order.

They had all decided to hold off on holding the funerals for their fallen friends until they had taken care of the remaining infinity stones. Their bodies were taken well care of in Wakanda and T'Challa had told them all not to worry. With everyone not having to really worry about the funerals at the moment, they the Avengers and Guardians could focus on a slightly more pressing matter; what to do with the remaining Infinity Stones and the Infinity Gauntlet.

"We need to destroy the remaining stones. Nobody should ever be able to wield their power ever again." Announced Thor once every who was attending their little meeting was seated and comfortable.

"I second that." Spoke up Tony from where he was tucked up with Steve. "The kind of power that that thing has… nobody should ever have that."

"SO what do you suggest we do?" asked Clint as he fiddled with a bracelet that his daughter Lila had made him.

Everyone was silent for a moment. Nobody was quite sure what to do. They had these stones that held more power than was ever necessary that they needed to get rid of before they became even more of a problem. Everyone was confused and really just had no ideas. Everyone except Loki.

"Why don't we dispose of them in a black hole?"

Everyone looked over at Loki as he spoke. Actually, his idea wasn't a bad one. It actually made sense. Who would have thought that the most sensible idea would come from the God of Mischief.

"That's actually a good idea." Remarked Hope as she shifted in her seat next to Scott. "But how would we even do that.

"Well, there a black hole near Xandar. We could start there." Supplied Quill.

"I am Groot."

"No, the ship got destroyed, we wouldn't be able to use it to get there." Argued Gamora.

"No, but we could use the Bifrost to land on Xandar and find a ship. The people may all be gone, but the planet still stands if what Thanos said was true." Remarked Thor.

Everyone began nodding. They now had a plan and were ready to move forward.

It took another day before anyone was ready to leave. Armour and weapons needed to be fixed before they could roll out. Tony and Steve had a minor argument because Tony wanted to accompany them to Xandar. Tony ended up winning the argument and Steve begrudgingly helped Tony fix the nanites for his suit. Leaving the kids again was hard, but Tony and Steve knew that they were in safe hands as Laura brought them all back to the compound.

When it came time to leave, everyone who was going met back out on the Wakandan field. T'Challa had come to see them off and wish them luck. He was staying behind to care for his kingdom. Nobody really blamed him for staying behind. His fight was over and the needs of his people were more important then heading to another planet. T'Challa and his mother actually had to physically restrain Shuri to prevent her form going. Tony promised to use his armour to take a few pictures for her and Peter to appease them.

Once everyone was ready, Thor used his axe to summon the Bifrost and they were off. It wasn't a very long journey much to everyone's surprise. It was when they all arrived on Xandar that they were all met with the damage Thanos had left behind. Dead bodies littered the streets and buildings crumbled around them. Quill had a small breakdown when he recognised some of the bodies of people he knew. It wasn't a pretty sight.

They all decided to split up a bit and have a look around in a defined radius. Nobody was allowed to travel to far and they all had to stay within shouting distance of another person. It just made sense. They didn't know what was hiding on this planet, and without any sensors or FRIDAY, they needed to be cautious.

Tony and Steve went off together towards what Quill had told them used to be the main building for the Nova Corps. They split up as they got closer, but they were always within sight of each other. Tony decided to take a turn heading down what must have been a residential street. The stone was covered in ash and bodies and it made Tony feel sick. At the end of the street was a dead end, and just as Tony was about to turn around and head back to where Steve was, he heard the sound of crying coming from the house on his left. Curious, Tony ventured inside.

There on the ground, next to what seemed to be a freshly dead body, was a tiny infant swaddled in a pink blanket with a note written in an unknown script pinned to the blanket. Tony knelt on the ground to pick up the child to comfort it. Once the child was in his arms, Tony was met with a sudden realization. This moment felt oddly familiar. It was just like one of the visions he'd had. The little baby in his arms had Steve's blonde hair and honey brown eyes like Tony. The only difference between this baby and all the other babies Tony had seen was the fact that this one was a very pale blue. Not a blue like the baby was struggling to breathe. No, the baby was breathing fine, their skin was just that colour. Just like Gamora was born green, this baby was born blue. The baby looked like the child in his vision the night before Thanos attacked.

"Shhh. Shhh. It's alright baby. You're ok. I've got you." Soothed Tony as he held the baby close and tried to stop the crying. He couldn't do much. The poor thing was probably starving and scared. This was no place for a child. So, Tony stood up with the baby in his arms and walked back to the meeting point they had all agreed on. Tony held the note he'd found with the infant in his metal hand while he cradled the infant in his right. There was no way in hell he trusted the arm yet to hold a child.

Tony sat down on a pile of rubble and tried his best to comfort the infant until the others arrived back. Steve was the first and he was at Tony's side in an instant trying to find out what had happened.

"Tony, what are you holding?" asked Steve as he got closer.

"A baby."

"Where did you find a baby?"

"In a house next to their dead mother. There was nobody looking after it and I couldn't just leave it to die." Tony had a sad look in his eyes that spoke volumes. Steve just looked sadly over at his husband and the baby. The planet was completely decimated and the poor thing had no one to look out for it. It made Steve's heart break and his hatred for Thanos grow even more.

Steve took that moment to hold both Tony and the infant in his arms, just like they used to do with Carter when he was still little. Steve's eyes softened when he saw the baby. They looked down right adorable with fuzzy blonde hair, sweet brow eyes, and skin like blue porcelain.

"Do you know if the baby is a boy or a girl?" asked Steve as they both looked at the now cooing infant.

"With the pink blanket, I'd assume it's a girl. But this is a different planet so who even knows. I don't want to assume anything. We'll have to ask Thor or Quill when they get back. Maybe it says something on this note."

It took around 20 minutes for the others to begin making their way back to the meeting spot.

"What do you have there Tones?" asked Rhodey.

"A baby."

"I'm sorry, did you say a BABY?!"

"They were abandoned. I wasn't about to leave a baby alone to die!"

Tony and Rhodey went back and forth for a while, and soon enough everyone else was gathered around Tony and the baby asking questions. Tony gave them all the same answer he gave Steve and Rhodey. Nobody put up any argument against Tony. They all would have done the same.

"There was this note with the baby. I was wondering if anyone here would read it?" asked Tony as he supported the baby with his right hand and held out the note with his left.

Quill snatched the note right out of Tony's outstretched hand and began reading it. Quill had practically lived on Xandar and was well versed in the language even without his translator chip.

"The note says, "To whoever finds this note, please take care of my daughter. She is only one month old and I want her to be safe. If anyone has come to help us, please keep her safe. -Xuria." Translated Quill. Everyone's eye were now on Tony and the baby. They were all glad in that moment that Tony had found her.

"Wait a second. Tony, didn't you have a vision where we had a little girl with blonde hair and brown eyes?" asked Steve as he looked at Tony. Tony just nodded and was taken by surprise when Steve hugged him closer. "Everything happens for a reason. We were meant to find this baby and help her. I know it. I feel it. This baby was meant to be with us." Steve was smiling a bit, and in the midst of all the death and destruction, there was a small glimmer of light.

"I swear to god Tony Stark, you have somehow become the "Alpha Dad" of the Avengers despite having been a parent for the least amount of time. What is your secret?" joked Clint as he watched Tony and Steve interact with the infant.

While everyone else was joking around and dealing with the shock of the situation, Loki, who for some reason was their voice of logic, was formulating a plan.

"The baby is probably hungry. I can go look in some of the buildings for something for her to eat."

Everyone looked over at Loki. They were all wondering how a would-be world conqueror was the one out of all of them who seemed to have their head on straight.

"Do you know what babies need to eat?" asked Scott as he stared down the god.

"Loki is very good with children. He'll find what we need." Supplied Thor. Well, if Thor trusted Loki then they did too. So, with that, Loki and Mantis took off in search of food for the baby.

Tony and Steve stayed close together and held the baby while everyone else milled around and talked about what they had found. Tony and Steve were falling more and more in love with the baby by the second. Now that she wasn't all alone, the baby had calmed down considerably. It had been years now since Carter was this small and both Tony and Steve had missed having a baby in their arms.

It didn't take terribly long for Loki and Mantis to return with a bottle of formula. Thor was able to ascertain that it was safe and soon enough, Tony was feeding the very hungry baby in his arms. He couldn't help but smile down at the baby as she took the bottle. He'd missed moments like this.

Unfortunately, their little moment of peace didn't last long. In the distance, a ship was fast approaching and everyone quickly got into a defensive stance. They kept Tony at the back of their huddle. He was the one holding the baby and therefore, needed to be protected.

When the ship landed everyone looked on with abject skepticism. It was hard to tell just by looking at the outside of the ship whether was a friend or foe. A long ramp descended from the door and a small group of people stepped out. They came in all shapes and sizes, but the one that caught everyone's eye was the woman who was obviously their leader. She was on the shorter side, only a few inches shorter than Tony. Her hair was a bright blonde and she was sporting a red, blue, and gold uniform. For all intents and purposes, she looked human.

"Who are you?" asked Rhodey, who had a bit of a smitten look on his face as the woman walked closer to them.

"My name is Carol Danvers. We saw your light thingy that brought you here. We needed to know if you were a threat or not."

"We are not here to harm others. We are just here to depose of a few Infinity Stones. Their power is too much for others to wield. Our solution is to destroy them." Explained Thor as Carol and her companions surveyed the group.

"What planet are you from?" asked Carol as she continued to read the situation.

"Well, my brother Loki and I are from Asgard. Most of the others here are from Earth."

"Wait…" interrupted Carol as she looked at the group of heroes. "If you're from Earth, is there a chance that you know Director Nick Fury of the Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division?!"

"Nick. Yeah, we know him. I talked to him a week ago. How do you know him?" asked Steve as he began making his way to the front of the group.

"Let's just say him and I have a little history." Smiled Carol. "It's a long story and one I'm sure Nick would love to tell just to embarrass me. Well jokes on him. I know how the bastard lost his eye." Carol let loose a small smirk and Tony giggled just a bit as he was Rhodey blush a bit. He was so totally teasing him about this later.

"Speaking of Fury, I was actually just on my way to Earth. Fury sent me a page. Something about an alien invasion and a missing superhero." And with that Carol brandished a pager in her left and… and Tony had a fit.

"I'm sorry, is that a pager. That thing hurts my soul just looking at it." Snarked Tony as Steve tried and failed to contain his laughter.

"It is… and you are?"

"My name's Tony Stark or Iron Man. Whichever you prefer."

"I've heard of you before. Aren't you that playboy who runs Stark Industries." Tony sighed. He really wished that people would look beyond his masks when they first met him.

"Haven't been a playboy for a long time. I've got a husband and kids to worry about." At that Steve smiled and curled his arm around Tony and the now sleeping infant in his arms.

"Is that a baby?" asked Carol as she looked at the bundle in Tony's arms. All Tony could do was nod. The pain had returned to his amputation sight and it was starting to take its toll.

"Enough of this. You guys have a ship, mind helping us chuck these stones down a black hole?" piped up Quill who was instantaneously smacked upside the head by Gamora for his behaviour.

"I don't see a problem with that. I can't fit all of you guys on my ship so pick a guy and let's go."

They decided to send Thor to dispose of the gauntlet and stones. They all trusted him to get the job done. As Thor went with Carol and her crew, the rest stayed behind and just sort of milled around. Tony and Steve unanimously decided that the baby girl in Tony's arms would be coming home with them. The poor girl had nobody else and Tony and Steve had the means to take care of a baby. After a quick talk with Gamora, they quickly found out that the baby's physiology was almost identical to that of a humans. The only difference was the blue skin and the fact that her species was known for being insanely flexible. Well, that would make things easier to care for her once they got back to the compound.

The second they knew that the stones were taken care of, Thor used the Bifrost to return them all to Wakanda. Everyone except Carol and her crew. She said that she would make her own way back to Earth. When they arrived back the main residents of the compound made arrangements with T'Challa to have their fallen friends dropped off back home to be buried. Soon enough, everyone was on a quinjet heading back to the States. Natasha was the one flying them all back home so that Tony and Steve could spend some time with the baby and to figure out how they were going to explain all of this to the government and their kids. They could worry about that later. All that the two cared about at that moment was that they were going home to be a family again.

* * *

So, that was a wild ride. I took the most logical route with the Infinity Gauntlet and how it would affect Tony. It scorched Thanos' arm, so I had it do the same to Tony. But Tony's only human so it did more. I also felt it important to let Tony talk with those he'd lost along the way. He needed to know that everything was going to work out in the end. I also felt the need to include Pietro. He needs love too.

So… Captain Marvel. I hope y'all didn't mind that I took a few liberties with her. We don't know much about her in the MCU as of this chapter going out. Only what we've seen in the trailers. I still want to make her badass and cool. Also, NEW BABY! You'll find out more about her soon. So, until next time -Shadows


	31. We go on

Yay! It's new chapter time. This one is a little on the shorter side and I have no major warning to give you all. All I can say is to get ready for some cuteness and some tears. Also, Loki stans are going to like this chapter. So, let's begin!

* * *

Arriving back at the compound after almost two weeks of being away was magical. The second the jet landed the sigh of relief that swept through the jet was astounding. Even the Guardians were excited to be there. It was a chance for everyone to rest and begin healing from the aftermath of what they had started to call the "Infinity War".

Everyone was practically dead on their feet as the jet landed and everyone began to get off. Fury and Hill were waiting for them there the second Hope had called and told them about meeting Carol on Xandar. Hill took it upon herself to show the Guardians to their rooms. She could tell that everyone else was just too tired to do much.

With everyone getting settled, Tony and Steve made their way back to their end of the compound. It was mid-evening so both Carter and Peter should still be up. They were right. When Tony and Steve arrived it only took a matter of seconds before both their boys were running towards them. Steve scooped both of them into a hug and Tony desperately wanted to join in, he just sort of had his hands full.

"Hey Dad, why are you holding a blanket?" asked Peter as everyone moved to the couch.

"This is your new baby sister." Said Tony bluntly.

"A new sister?" asked a very confused Carter. He was too young to know where babies came from.

"Yes. You see boys when we were on Xandar we all split up to look for supplies to make a ship and to make sure there wasn't anything dangerous. I found this baby all alone in a building and we couldn't just leave her behind. There was nobody to take care of her. So now we are." Explained Tony as Carter and Peter scooted closer to Tony on the couch.

"Can we see the baby?" asked Carter with a smile. So, Tony gently moved the blankets that the baby were wrapped in so that his two other kids could take a look.

"OMG! She's so small!" cooed Peter the second he got a look.

"Daddy, Papa, why is she blue?" asked Carter. He'd never seen somebody blue before.

"Well, on the planet where she's from some of the people are blue." Explained Steve as he pulled Carter onto his lap. Carter just smiled back at his Papa. Lots of his classmates had younger siblings and the prospect of becoming a big brother instead of being the baby of the family was very welcome.

The small family spent the rest of the day together, preferring to eat dinner just the five of them instead of back in the main dining room. They needed the time just to be together after everything that had happened. The kids needed a bit of stability, Steve needed some reassurance, and Tony needed time to heal. Family, for all of them, was important.

Soon enough it was time for both Peter and Carter to go to bed. Peter was free to stay up longer to get school work done, just as long as he was asleep by 11. Tony and Steve made sure that the boys were safe and comfortable before they went off to their room. Laura, like the goddess she was, took Carter's old crib out of storage and placed it in Tony and Steve's room for the baby. They bother worked in tandem, feeding and changing the baby together, just like they had when Carter was little and Tony was still learning how to care for a baby. It reminded them both of the early days of the team when everything was still bright and new.

They both curled up together and cuddled up close once the baby was down for the night. Both were more than happy to be sharing a bed that wasn't in a hospital for the first time in over a week. It didn't take very long before the couple was asleep. They desperately needed the rest, considering what the next day had in store.

MTHS

Everyone was dressed in black. It was only fitting. Today, the Avengers and Guardians were laying to rest their fallen friends. Pepper, Happy, Sharron, Jane, Darcy, and Wong were also there to pay their respects. The dead were going to be buried on the hillside near the compound. It overlooked the lake and it was surrounded by flowers. It was the perfect place to rest.

Everyone was dressed in black. Even the kids, who were more than upset over losing members of their family. Tony just felt absolutely awful. His mind kept wandering back to that battle on Titan. The "what ifs" kept him awake and spiralling into sadness. If only he'd beaten Thanos when they were fighting one on one the first time. If only he'd gotten a better handle on his powers sooner. If only he'd gotten the Soul Stone out sooner. If only…

Steve was right by his side the entire time they were getting ready. Both men took comfort in each others presence. Both just wanted to break down and cry. They couldn't. They were the leaders of the Avengers. They had to stay strong, both for the team and for the kids.

Tony and Steve helped get their kids dressed and ready. Carter and Peter were dressed in suits, the baby, dressed in a grey onesie and a black blanket. Tony himself was sporting a black suit and tie while Steve once again donned his military uniform. This was going to be a hard day.

Everyone met up together for breakfast. They took comfort in each other, telling stories of their fallen friends. Good memories to remember them by. All too soon, it was time for everyone to make their way outside. The walk to the hill was the longest walk any of the Avengers had ever made. When they got there, everyone went to their assigned seat and waited for things to begin. The media was there on behalf of the public, who wanted to pay their respects to the people who had saved their lives over and over again. A statue would be going up in a few days to commemorate the fallen, but for not, this was what they had.

When the funeral began, everyone was silent. Thor was the one conducting everything, giving their fallen friends a service worthy of royalty. As Thor spoke, Tony couldn't help but look over that the bodies of his friends. Each was laid beside their headstones, covered in white shrouds. The bodies were too badly broken to have out on display. As Thor talked, everyone thought back to the good times they'd had as teams. All the laughs and smiles. It just made the realization that their friends were gone so much sadder.

Soon enough, it was time for some of them to speak on behalf of their friends and family. Clint was speaking for Wanda, Steve for Sam, Tony for Vision, Wong for Strange, Quill for Rocket and Drax, and Gamora for Nebula. Everyone's speeches were filled with tears and memories.

Clint told everyone about how Wanda was enthusiastic about everything. How she put 100% into everything she did. Steve talked about how Sam was the master of dirty jokes and ill-timed puns. How he was always ready to fight to protect those who could not protect themselves. Tony talked about how Vision was always ready to learn new thing. How he took joy in every little wonder the world had to offer. How he was taken too soon. Wong talked about how Strange was a dedicated sorcerer and an even more dedicated doctor. He talked about how Strange devoted his life to saving others. Quill talked about how Rocket was always down for dirty jokes and stealing random metal body parts just for the heck of it, and how Drax was fiercely protective of everyone on their ship. Gamora shared memories of when she and Nebula were children. The good times when Thanos wasn't there tormenting them. Times like sneaking into kitchens and playing games in dark corridors.

There wasn't a dry eye by the time everyone was done talking.

The rest of the day was spent as a group. The younger kids got to run around in the games room while the adults + Peter stayed in the common room area. They all took comfort in each other and were more than ready to help Tony and Steve when the baby started crying. It would take a while for things at the compound to return to some semblance of normal. With losing teammates, having a new baby, and Tony slowly learning how to control his new arm, life wasn't going to be easy. But, like with everything else, they would make it though.

MTHS

Three days after the funerals Tony and Steve had an appointment back in Manhattan about getting paperwork done up for the baby. Tony and Steve had already explained to the UN and US President what had happened when they left for Xandar. They understood what had happened, but understandably, had some reservation about bringing a child from another planet back to Earth.

They called in Gamora for back up to explain to everyone that the baby was safe and was already in a home filled with love.

The whole afternoon was filled with paperwork. Carter and Peter were back at school, and everyone else was busy trying to rebuild their lives, so Tony and Steve brought their new daughter with them to do all the work.

"Now, for us to finish her paperwork, you'll need to pick out a name for the baby." Spoke the official. Tony looked down at the baby sound asleep in his arms. He had absolutely no idea what to name her.

But apparently, Steve did.

"Ana-Maria. I want her first name to be Ana-Maria." Spoke Steve as he looked over at Tony. Tony looked on with wide eyes.

"Really?" whispered Tony as he looked back at his husband.

"Really. I want her to grow up to be strong. She needs a strong name for that." Smiled Steve as he reached over and brushed his finger over their daughter's cheek.

"If that's the case, I want her middle name to be Sarah." Tony smiled back at Steve.

"I like that." Whispered Steve as he lent in closer. "A perfect name for a perfect baby girl."

It only took a few moments for the official to get her birth certificate entered and her paperwork sent off. The whole time, both Tony and Steve were smiling like loons. They had a beautiful baby girl and two amazing boys. They had the family they had always wanted growing up.

MTHS

It had been three weeks since the "Infinity War" and life was slowly returning to normal. The kids went to school, the adults rested and went to their mandatory therapy session, new members of the team got their paperwork filled out. Life was almost peaceful.

Well, it would be if there weren't two Asgardians mopping about 24/7. Nobody could really blame Thor and Loki for their behaviour. They'd lost their home and their people and neither of them had gotten any news on whether or not Valkyrie and Korg had managed to get the children they'd rescued to safety when the Statesman exploded.

Everyone helped out where they could. Thor took to sparing with Bucky and Steve just to get his anger out. Loki took to brooding on the roof and continued to flirt with Tony, which annoyed Steve to no end. Things between the two brothers were tense. They both loved each other dearly, but both were dealing with everything in their own way. They both seemed like shells of their former selves. Until they had a lucky break.

It was a month after the fight against Thanos when something magical happened.

"Boss, there is an unknown spacecraft entering the atmosphere above the compound." Alerted FRIDAY one afternoon when most of the Avengers were sitting in the training room.

"Bring up the visual FRI."

The second the visual was displayed, Thor and Loki got excited. On the screen was a very familiar yellow, red, and black ship. The same ship that Thor had stolen from the Grandmaster on Sakaar. The same ship that Valkyrie and Korg used to smuggle away some of the Asgardian children.

It didn't take long before Thor and Loki were tearing their way outside to greet the vessel. The rest of the Avengers were right behind them. They made it outside right as the ship began to land and the doors opened and Valkyrie, Korg, and 10 Asgardian children all under the age of 15 Earth years made their way off the ship.

Thor and Loki were very quickly surrounded by the kids with shouts of "King Thor!" and "Prince Loki!" floating through the air. Thor was scooping the older kids into hugs while Loki held onto the babies for dear life. The rest of the Avengers slowly made their way over to the Asgardians and Korg just in time to hear Valkyrie and Korg's explanation on what had happened.

Apparently, after the Statesman exploded they went planet hoping to make sure that the kids had enough food and water. Their communication system had shut down in the aftermath of the explosion. That was why they hadn't made any contact. Thor and Loki found that they couldn't get mad. They were just happy that some of their people had survived.

After a very heartfelt reunion, Thor introduced everyone to the Avengers and Guardians. The older kids got excited. Thor had told them stories of "Earth's Mightiest Heroes" one night when they were all on the Statesman. The older kids quickly got to introducing themselves. Out of the eight older children, there were three boys; Calder, Destin, and Inge. As well as five girls; Alva, Eira, Gunhild, Ragna, and Ylva. The younger three were still infants. None of them could talk and nobody had gotten their names from their parents in the chaos of Thanos' attack.

Tony and Steve were quick to take charge as the got the children inside and fed. Hope and Natasha were the ones to call the UN and president to let them know what had happened. The older kids pestered the adults for stories, seeking some sort of comfort after all the destruction they had witnessed. Loki held and cuddled the younger ones. Everyone was a bit surprised to see the once villain caring so gently for children, especially because he was only 17 in Earth years. That fact really surprised the Avengers. It made Loki's brainwashed invasion more like a teenage temper tantrum.

When Tony offered to build a house close by for the Asgardians, Thor actually burst into tears. He and Tony immediately started drawing up plans to keep the kids as safe as possible. When the rest of the kids got home, they were all quick to join in and introduce themselves to the new arrivals. That evening, Tony, Loki, and Laura spent time with their babies while Thor and the others ran around with the older kids.

The next day, a construction crew broke ground on the new house just over the hill. Everyone was thankful for the safety of the Asgardian children. It made Thor and Loki infinitely happier and provide everyone a welcome distraction from all that had happened. Even Princes Shuri, Ned, and MJ came over to visit and play with the new kids. Pretty soon, all the kids had become fast friends and the adults began to lose their minds as the kids all learned to speak Groot just to annoy their parents.

Life was slowly getting better. Their children were safe and unharmed and everyone was slowly beginning to heal. There was still a ways to go, but they would get there. It was only a matter of time.

* * *

Well, wasn't this a more light-hearted chapter then what we had the last few. I hope you all liked it. I don't really have much to say about this chapter. It was fun to write but also a little sad. I hope I did everything justice. Well, next chapter will be up shortly with more family goodness and goofy jokes to follow. See you soon! -Shadows


	32. Oh the places you will go

Hey guys! It's new chapter time. Just a quick note. I think that the way the American school system works is strange and I just plain don't like it. So, in this universe, it works similar to the Canadian system. This way, Peter can actually attend his graduation with everything that's happened in this story. Please no hate for this change, I just needed things to work better. Also, I mirrored his graduation after mine. I have no idea how graduation works in the states. On a final note, this chapter has some mentions of sex. Nothing graphic, just thought you should know. So, with that said, on with the show!

* * *

Everyone was settling into life at the compound nicely. Thor, Loki, Jane, Valkyrie, Korg, and the Asgardian children had settled into their new home and were at the compound often so all the kids could play. Peter and Carter were back on their routine and both Tony and Steve had quickly adapted back to having a baby again.

Tony and Steve had let their boys help decorate Ana-Maria's room. The room was the just down the hall from theirs and looked like a flower garden. The walls were painted like sunflowers and the furniture was covered in lilies and roses. It looked the very picture of a baby girls room.

The compound had grown a fair bit in terms of residents. Captain Danvers had come back just as she promised to talk with Fury. Rhodey had taken to tailing her like a lovesick puppy. Tony found it absolutely hilarious. The Guardians were still there. Carol had promised to get them a new ship but that would take some time. In the meantime, they stayed at the compound and did their best to learn about Earth Culture.

One event that was fast approaching was Peter's high school graduation. Peter was more than excited about it. He was just finishing up his final exams and he knew that he'd passed with flying colours. It made the atmosphere of the compound feel much lighter than it had in the previous weeks.

The weekend before graduation, Tony let Peter invite Ned, MJ, and Shuri over for a bit of a celebration. Everyone had fun. They played games, they watched movies, they had a special cake that read "Class of 2018!" on it. It was absolutely amazing. Peter couldn't stop smiling.

That next day, Peter got a very important letter from MIT. Tony smiled as he handed his son the letter and Peter's hands shook with excitement as he tore it open. The second that letter was open, Peter was screaming and jumping up and down.

"DAD! POPS! I GOT IN! I GOT IN!" shouted Peter as he ran over and hugged his parents.

"I'm so proud of you Underoos. You worked so hard. You deserve it." Praised Tony as Peter shook with excitement.

"Did you get the program you wanted?" asked Steve as he pulled Peter into a hug of his own.

"Yup! Computer Science and Molecular Biology!"

That night everyone at the compound gathered around to celebrate. Everyone was there, including their Asgardian friends from over the hill. Sure, Tony and Peter had to explain why going to MIT was such a big deal to them, but at the end of the night, everyone was smiling and celebrating Peter's accomplishment.

Three days later was Peter's graduation. Only Steve, Tony, Carter, and Ana-Maria were allowed to attend, but Tony promised to record the whole thing so that everyone else could see. When they arrived at the hall, Peter made a bee-line for his friends while the rest of his family went to find their seats. About 20 minutes later, the graduates were filing into the hall in alphabetical order. Peter smiled over at his parents and siblings who waved at him as Peter walked by in his navy blue and gold grad gown.

Once seated, their principal started to drone on and on about how all the graduates were the minds of the future. Peter thought that the whole speech was stupid and cheesy. So did everyone else. Soon enough, different teacher and people from the school board gave their own speeches about how they would all shape the future. It got repetitive really fast. At one point, one of the officials started referencing infant cartoons. Nobody really knew what he was talking about except Peter, and that was only because he has siblings under the age of 6.

After about 45 minutes of constant talking, it was finally time to walk the stage. Peter was more than excited for this part. It would mean that he was finally done high school once and for all. As each student was called up one by one, Peter waited in anticipation.

"Peter Parker-Stark."

The second Peter's name was called he walked up onto that stage like he owned the place. He was smiling like a loon as his parents and little brother cheered him on. They were so proud of him and Peter couldn't help but smile and wave at them once he got his diploma.

After all the students had finished walking the stage, the band began playing and everyone started celebrating. Soon enough, the parents were able to go down and meet their kids. Peter went running up to his family who were all smiles as they met up with him. Carter even made him a special card with a robot on it.

"Do you think they would be proud?" asked Peter as Tony pulled him into a hug.

"I know they would. They would be so damn proud of you." Whispered Tony as he held his son close. Peter had lost so much in his life so far, but if it was one he knew, it was that Peter's family would have been proud of him.

Peter was smiling when the hug ended and soon Steve was hugging him. Peter's friends and their families met up with Peter and his as they gathered all the graduates around to take some photos. All of the photos were special and the kids forced them to do a silly one. It was a good day. No, scratch that. It was a great day.

MTHS

With Peter all graduated and all the kids off school for the summer. Life at the compound quickly became hectic. The older kids were pretty self-sufficient at this point so the adults didn't have to worry too much. It was the younger five that caused the insanity. Cassie, Lila, Nate, and Carter were thick as thieves as they ran around the compound getting into everything. The other adults helped to corral them most of the time so that Tony and Steve could get a bit of sleep. Ana-Maria wasn't sleeping through the night yet and both of them were dead tired. Tony more so than Steve.

You see, Tony had been keeping late hours the last few weeks for a good reason. Steve's 100th birthday was only days away and Tony wanted it to be perfect. Things were going relatively smooth all things considered. Well, they would have gone smoother if Carter hadn't decided to use his powers to make a giant mess in the kitchen.

"Carter, Bambino, we've talked about this. You can't just use your powers around the house. Not until you've gotten better at handling them." Chastised Tony as he had his youngest son help him clean up the spilt cereal from the floor.

"I know Daddy. But I couldn't reach it!"

"Next time ask for help Carter. You don't need to be afraid to ask for help."

So, with the cereal crisis over, Tony got back to work planning everything. He had his work cut out for him. Not only did he have to finalize stuff for Steve's party, but he also had to go pick up things for Carter's party which was the tomorrow.

Tony could hardly believe that his little boy was turning six-years-old. It seemed like just yesterday that Tony was holding him in his arms for the first time. A lot had changed in the past 10 years, but Tony wouldn't have changed it for the world.

As the sun rose on July 1st, Tony and Steve were woken up by Carter jumping on the bed with a shout of "IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!" That was more than enough to get his parents out of bed and ready for the day. Breakfast was a noisy affair with lots of birthday wishes and maybe one too many chocolate chip pancakes.

The rest of the day was filled with screaming children, a water fight, a giant dinosaur cake, and so many presents from Carter's family. Tony was glad that he could make his kids smile. They'd all been through way to much in their lives. They deserved a chance to just be kids and smile. Carter was over the moon excited when he opened his present from his parents. Tony and Steve had gotten him a giant Lego set with the mechanical pieces that moved. Carter had a love for building things so this was right up his alley.

That night Tony got back to his planning.

When the morning of July 4th rolled around, Steve was woken up in the most marvellous way. Tony had gotten up a bit early, and with the help of Peter and Carter, made Steve breakfast in bed.

"Happy Birthday Papa!" shouted both Peter and Carter as they carried the tray of food over to Steve. Tony followed close behind with baby Ana-Maria in his arms.

"Is this all for me? You guys are awesome!" exclaimed Steve as he kids and husband climbed into bed with him.

Breakfast was spent as a family. They shared stories and laughed. It was one of those rare moments of peace that they didn't get often, what with being Avengers and having children. It was nice to just have a moment as a family.

That moment of peace was promptly interrupted the second Steve walked into the common area.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEVE!" was shouted out by everyone. And when I say everyone, I mean EVERYONE. All the Avengers and Guardians were there. Fury and Hill were there. Pepper and Happy were there as well as Jane, Darcy, and the Asgardians. Everyone that mattered in their world was there.

That was when the day really ramped up. It wasn't every day that they had a friend turn 100, so it was cause to celebrate. Everyone spent the outside in the sun playing games and swapping stories. Bucky was the main person telling stories. And not normal stories. No, Bucky took the opportunity to tell embarrassing stories about Steve when he was a kid. They had everyone laughing.

Tony and Steve were side by side most of the day. They took turns holding Ana-Maria and trading kisses as they watched the kids ran around and played. Somehow, probably by the promise of good behaviour, Nick Fury was the one helping to man the grill. Most of the food was being catered seeing as they had so many people with giant appetites in present company.

When it came time for cake, they had a proper cake and a dummy cake so that Steve could attempt to blow out 100 candles. What Steve didn't know was that Clint and Bucky had replaced the candles with those ones that are next to impossible to blow out. Even Tony couldn't help but laugh as his husband struggled to blow out the candles.

When night fell, everyone moved inside to avoid all the sounds of Independence Day fireworks going off. Nobody was really a fan of loud noises and bright lights. Plus inside had more food, and who doesn't like food?!

The rest of the evening was spent chatting and playing games as one by one, the kids went to bed. By the time Peter had been sent off, it was time for the adults to have some fun. Drinks flowed freely for those who chose to drink and the dirtiest game ever of Cards Against Humanity was played. By the end, everyone was laughing and having a good time. It was the first time everyone was smiling since Thanos.

It was when Thor passed out on the couch and Loki complained about having to carry him back to their place that the night came to an end.

"So, Rhodey's watching the kids tonight so we have the rest of the evening to ourselves."

"That we do." Husked Steve as gave his husband a sweet kiss.

"How about we head back to our room and, you know, fondue? I've got a surprise there for you." Breathed out Tony as he lent in closer.

Steve let out a bit of a stifled moan as his hands flew to Tony's hips. He was absolutely 100% on board with this idea.

"Please tell me it has something to do with that Victoria's Secret bag I saw in the back of the closet this morning."

"I will neither confirm nor deny."

It didn't take long before Steve was picking Tony up and running off to their room. It was the perfect end to a perfect day.

* * *

Well, would you look at that! A nice happy chapter that everyone can enjoy. I hope you all liked this one. Now as a timeline for this fic, I hope to have it finished by late March. Just in time for the final lead up to Endgame. I hope that sounds cool. Also, the next few chapters are going to be on the shorter side. Like less than 5000 words. I think you'll enjoy them. Well, until next time -Shadows.


	33. Thank You!

Hello Friends! It's time for a new chapter! This one comes with a light warning of referenced self-harm. It's just a mention, but I wanted y'all to be prepared. I hope you've all been keeping up with what's been going on in this story because I make reference to things that happened in past chapters. So, let's get on with the chapter.

* * *

When September rolled around, Tony had a bit of a freakout. It wasn't a panic attack kind of freak out. No, it was a "Peter is leaving for MIT and I'm not ready for that!" kind of freak out. Steve wasn't doing much better. Both of them were constantly hovering around Peter, making sure that he had everything packed and ready to go before he moved into his dorm room with Ned.

When move-in day rolled around, Tony rented a Uhaul trailer to carry Peter's things and attached it to one of the SUVs in the garage so that the whole Stark clan could drive Peter out to Boston. The morning that Peter moved, all the Avengers and their families were there to send Peter off. They were all excited for Peter to be heading out into the world, but there were a few tears… mostly from Thor.

Soon enough, it was time to leave and Tony and Steve bustled all their kids into the SUV for the 3-hour drive. Most of the drive was spent with Peter asked Tony as many questions as he could about MIT and all the labs he would be doing. Carter watched a movie on his Starkpad and little Ana-Maria slept on. Small mercies.

When they arrived at MIT, Peter practically bolted outside to find Ned and get his room key. Steve sent Tony after him while he took care of the younger kids. Tony found Peter in line, practically vibrating as he waited in line to get his ID and room key. Ned and his mom were right there with him. The two boys were chatting away with excitement and Tony knew exactly how they were feeling. This was something new and exciting. This was the start of their adult lives. This was the beginning of everything.

The second Peter and Ned got their room keys the booked it to their dorm. Tony immediately called Rhodey when he arrived at the room after Peter practically dragged him there. Peter and Ned's room for the next four years was the same room that Tony had shared with Rhodey 30 years ago. It was one of the nicer dorms of campus with two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a kitchen/living room. It was perfect for Tony and Rhodey when they attended and it would be perfect for Peter and Ned. And, MJ was just down the hall!

Before long Tony and Steve were helping Ned and Peter being their belongings up to their dorm while Ned's mom stayed in the dorm with Carter and Ana-Maria. With Steve and Peter doing most of the heavy lifting, they had everything there in no time.

Peter and Ned quickly got to decorating their room with the help of Carter while Steve and Mrs. Leeds got the kitchen unpacked. Tony sat down with Ana-Maria and supervised. His left arm bonding site was killing him and he needed a break.

It didn't take long for both boys to unpack all their things. Peter even brought his AI bot, Pixel, with him to use as a little helper. Where Tony had DUM-E, Peter had Pixel. It was adorable. When Peter dragged his family in to see his room they were surprised. They expected the room to be covered in Star Wars posters and full of Lego. Well, it was, but Peter had the whole wall by his bed full of pictures of his family. There were pictures with him and his siblings, pictures if him and his parents, pictures with the other Avengers, pictures of Aunt May and Uncle Ben, and different newspaper clippings about Spider-Man. Looking at the wall just made Tony hug his son closer.

"Promise me you'll behave yourself." Spoke Tony as he held Peter's shoulders.

"I'll try Dad. You don't need to worry."

"If you ever need help with a Spider-Man situation Pete, don't be afraid to call. It's only a short flight and I want you to be safe." Tony pulled Peter back into a hug.

"I love you Underoos."

"I love you Dad."

From there Peter was passed on to Steve who proceeded to give him a lecture about eating enough and getting the correct amount of sleep. Peter just rolled his eyes but let his Papa continue. Soon enough, it was time to say goodbye. Peter gave his parents and siblings one last hug before they left the young adults to their own devices.

That night, after Carter and Ana-Maria had been put to bed, Tony and Steve took the rest of the evening to just cuddle and talk. Their kids were all growing up so damn fast. They weren't ready for that.

MTHS

With Peter away at school, the Avengers had to adjust into a new routine. With so many kids running around and paperwork to do, it was easy to fall back into a regular routine. When the older kids went off to school for the year, the compound became quieter. Carter was now in third grade and absolutely thriving. He and his friend Aubrey did almost everything together and were once again in the same class.

Now with Carter at school and Ana-Maria finally sleeping through the night and starting to act more like a typical baby, Tony and Steve had a little bit more free time. That meant Tony could invent in his lab and Steve could work on his art. Steve was actually working on some new pieces for an art exhibit in Brooklyn. Tony on the other hand, now had no excuse to not answer his emails and paper mail.

It was a rainy Tuesday and Tony was sitting at his desk in his and Steve's room just going through different letters from business partners when he'd opened a letter addressed to him and Steve covered in a decal that he'd only seen once before.

"FRIDAY tell Steve to get his gorgeous ass in here!" called Tony as he stared at the contents of the letter.

"What's going on Tones?" asked Steve as he walked into their room. He was in his workout clothes and had obviously just come from a sparing session with Bucky. He gave Ana-Maria a little kiss as she slept on in her crib before walking over to Tony.

"Take a look at this!" smiled Tony as he held the letter out to Steve.

"You're kidding?!" expressed Steve as he looked between the letter and Tony.

"Nope! And, if you'll look at the bottom, it says that nobody else was even nominated so we've basically won already." Tony was all smiles and practically laughing.

"Holy fuck Tony! This is amazing!" cried Steve as he scooped Tony into a crushing hug and spun him around. "We need to go tell the rest of the team!"

"Absolutely!" shouted Tony as he hugged his husband close and smiled like a maniac.

Shouting seemed to be the wrong thing to do as all the noise woke up the baby.

"Shh baby girl. Daddy didn't mean to make so much noise. It's alright Girasole." Soothed Tony as he picked up Ana-Maria and kissed her on her chubby blue cheek.

"Did you just call our little girl "Sunflower" in Italian?"

"Of course I did. She's always so sunny and smiley. She's our Little Sunflower."

Both parents smiled and hugged their daughter as they sat down and tried to think of the best way to tell their team the good news. In the end, they just had FRIDAY tell the others that they were all meeting up after lunch with some good news.

After lunch with all the young kids down for their afternoon naps, Tony and Steve gathered everyone up in the living room.

"So, everyone. Today we got a very exciting letter in the mail." Announced Tony once everyone was seated.

"What was in the letter?" asked Mantis as she looked on expectantly and with awe.

"So, um, for those of you who remember, remember when I was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Chemistry?" There were a few nods around the room. "Well, this time we're all nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. And we're not really even nominated. Scratch that, we all WON the Peace Prize!"

The Avengers erupted in cheers, and once it was explained to them how important this award was, the Guardians and Loki joined in the celebration as well.

"Wait a second!" interrupted Clint, "How come you guys got the letter?"

"Because it's technically Avengers business and because Steve and I are the leaders of the team we get all mail that effects the team. How did you not know this bird brain?" spoke Tony still with a smile plastered on his face.

"Clint it's literally been that way since day one of us being a team. How did you not know this?" mocked Natasha as she stared at her longtime friend. Clint just shrugged.

"We'll have to let T'Challa know the award is for all of us who fought in Titan." Smiled Steve as everyone joined in a group hug.

"Peter too. He was there and fought just as hard. He can wear his mask to the ceremony."

That night, everyone was celebrating. T'Challa was thankful for being told and was excited to receive the award. Peter on the other hand, completely freaked out when Tony and Steve skyped him that night. The kid was screaming and jumping up and down with Ned and MJ lost their shit in the background. Peter immediately got to emailing his professors to request a few classes off so that he could go to the ceremony.

Life was going well.

MTHS

As September rolled into October, life continued on as normal. There was the occasional call to action, but nothing that required all of the Avengers. Tony hadn't been out since the battle on Titan. He was still healing both physically and mentally and needed the break.

Speaking of physically healing, Tony was struggling a bit to adjust to having a metal arm. He spent time talking to Bucky and had been talking to a therapist that specialized in traumatic amputations, but he was still having a tough time. The one thing that was causing problems was the pain. Now, Tony was used to having intrusive metal in his body. He'd had the arc reactor in for almost a decade but having the extra pain in his daily life was starting to get to him.

He was lucky that he had Steve by his side. Steve was always there to supply Tony with painkillers, cold packs, and hot water bottles to ease the pain on a day to day basis. Tony often woke up in the morning feeling some sort of pain, but, it was better than being dead at the hands of Thanos, so to Tony, it was worth it.

Having his dog Curie around helped immensely. She helped keep Tony calm when he had to go in for board meetings for SI and she would alert others when Tony's pain spiked. Once again, Tony felt that his dog was the absolute best dog in the world.

"How's the arm feeling today Tony? You said it was hurting you earlier." Murmured Steve as he pulled Tony back towards his chest one evening after the kids had gone to bed.

"It's not hurting me right now." Huffed out Tony as he closed his eyes and tried to focus on Steve. "It's just… it still feels weird. I still feel like if I look down I'll still see my normal arm."

"I'm here for you baby. Whatever you need I'll be here." Cooed Steve as he and Tony swayed back and forth and savoured the moment together.

"There is one upside to having this new arm here." Spoke Tony after a few moments of silence.

"And what would that be Darlin'?"

"No more self-harm scars. It's like a fresh start." Tony let out a small smile that Steve couldn't help but mirror. It really was a fresh start for Tony. The last marks that Tiberius Stone had left on his physical body were gone. The marks from the whole Ultron incident were gone. It was a nice thing to think about.

That night Steve spent hours making sure that Tony knew how loved he was, metal arm and all.

A few days later Tony and Steve celebrated their first anniversary as a married couple. Rhodey and Bucky took care of the kids while Tony and Steve spent the weekend vacationing on Tony's private island. It was the same place where they spent their honeymoon.

The fact that they had even made it to their first anniversary was a big deal. With Tony almost dying back on Titan, they took every chance they had to celebrate. They had a ridiculous amount of sex on that island.

MTHS

By the time early December rolled around, the Avengers and Guardians found themselves in Stockholm to receive their Nobel Peace Prize. Peter was absolutely buzzing with excitement the whole plane ride there. Laura, Mama Rhodes, and the Paxtons' had stayed behind to look after the kids at the compound while Jane, Valkyrie, Korg, and Darcy had volunteered to keep an eye on the Asgardian children. Pepper and Happy had also flown in from Malibu for extra support. They all had their hands full but this was too big an opportunity for the others to miss.

The second they all arrived on the frigid tarmac there in Sweden everyone quickly bustled off to the hotel. Nobody really liked the cold. Well, nobody except for Loki, but he was a frost giant so he didn't count.

Most of them were sharing rooms. The four couples on the team got rooms just for them. Tony and Steve were together, Scott and Hope, Gamora and Quill, and surprisingly, Bruce and Natasha. They had something tentative before the whole Ultron debacle and after some discussion, had decided to give things a try again.

That night was the black-tie gala for all the nominees. Tony couldn't stop laughing when Peter walked out of the room he was sharing with Groot dressed in the suit Tony had gotten him with his Spider-suit underneath. Tony made sure to take loads of pictures.

That night, the Avengers and Guardians mingled with all the other people at the gala. Stories were shared and congratulations were given. It was an amazing night and both Tony and Steve took a little extra time to celebrate when they got back to their hotel room.

When the day of the ceremony arrived, the air was ripe with excitement. Not only was Peter practically jumping up and down, but Tony was too. This was going to be his second Nobel prize and the feeling would never get old.

They were all dressed to the nines and full of smiles as the arrived at the venue and ushered backstage. From there it was confirmed, they had won the Nobel Peace Prize. They all waited backstage as the Swedish Royal Family took their seats and they were called out one by one. With Tony and Steve being the leaders of the group, and Tony being the one to actually take down Thanos for good, they were called out last.

"Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen," spoke the announcer from the podium, "and welcome to the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize ceremony. Today, we are here to honour a truly remarkable group of people. People who have, on more than one occasion, saved this planet from destruction. Today, we honour those who left Earth to do fight the greatest battle of their lives on the planet Titan and remember those who laid down their lives to protect us. So, with that, I'd like to welcome up Dr. Anthony Stark and Captain Steven Stark to give a speech on their teammate's behalf."

With that, Tony and Steve got up from their seats and made their way up to the podium. They had their speech prepared weeks ago and had had their teammates give impute where it counted.

"Good afternoon," smiled Steve as he began, "I'd like to start off by saying, that on the behalf of both The Avengers and The Guardians of the Galaxy, we a deeply honoured to accept this award. We have all worked tirelessly to protect every single citizen of this planet and we are glad that things worked out the way they did. And, I know that he'll deny how important a role he played was, but we really wouldn't be here without Tony. He was the one to use the Infinity Stones to vanquish Thanos once and for all." Spoke Steve. Tony couldn't help but blush a bit.

"As much as I'd like to take credit for that. There was so much other stuff at play." Explained Tony. "Everyone else here had to protect me so I could even get the last stone. And both Gamora and her late sister Nebula were the ones to actually get the gauntlet off of Thanos. So, everyone here deserves all the same credit and praise for all the work they did. We all worked as a team. And yes, we lost friends that day. We lost family. But in the end, we won and stopped Thanos from killing half of all life. And I think that's the important part. So, once again, on behalf of all of us, thank you all for believing in us and our ability to protect others. We will all strive to continue to protect those in need and fight for the rights and freedoms of others."

From there, the crowd applauded and Tony and Steve took their seats. One by one, each member of the team was called up to receive their award. When Peter got called up he was only announced as Spider-Man to protect his identity. Tony just knew that the kid had a dopey grin on behind his mask. When T'Challa was called up, he claimed is in honour of all of Wakanda. Everyone was all smiles as they accepted their awards. It was hard not to smile. Getting a Nobel Prize was a dream come true for quite a few of them. And they all knew that the kids watching back home at the compound were just as excited and were definitely going to brag to all of their little friends about this at school.

That night, everyone was celebrating. Peter couldn't stop smiling and staring down at his prize. He had skyped his friends as soon as the ceremony was over to show it off. Tony couldn't help but laugh as the kid giggled at a lame joke MJ told him. Life was looking up for the team. Everyone was smiling and chatting away as the night rolled on and the real party got underway.

Life was good. It was like the universe was finally doing something good for Tony as retribution for all the shit he'd been through. And it was worth every second.

* * *

Hello friends! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I tried to make it as fun as possible. I'm hoping that You've already my story "A Nobel Accomplishment" when that came out, but I doubt it. So, I'll reexplain how Nobel prizes work in this world. In the real world, the ceremony is only for the winners and it's pretty short with no speeches. In this world I had nominees and winners all attend and find out who won during the ceremony with some speeches. I just liked it better like this. Also, this universe has magic and talking trees, who said that the Nobel Awards can't be different. So, with that all being said, I'll see you next chapter -Shadows.


	34. Just a man in a can

Hello friends, this one's a bit of a shorter chapter. I don't have any warning other than I'm sorry this took a little long. I'm currently in medical limbo trying to get a consult done. It's hell. Well enough about me, let's get on with the chapter!

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It was mid-January when Tony Stark came to a realization. He was absolutely exhausted. He felt overworked, he was still in pain, and people wanted more and more out of him after the "Infinity War". He wasn't an active field combatant at the moment because he was still healing and wasn't cleared for that, but he was still exhausted. Tony knew that the second he went back on active duty that things would go horribly wrong.

Maybe it was time to talk with Steve about this.

So, a few days later, while Carter was a school and little Ana-Maria was down for her afternoon nap, Tony pulled Steve to their usual cuddle spot in the lab and sat him down.

"What's going on Tony? Are you feeling alright?" asked Steve as he reached out and grabbed Tony's hand.

"No. Not really." Huffed out Tony as he squeezed back.

"I can tell that something's bothering you. What's going on in that head of yours?"

Tony took a deep breath before looking up at Steve and beginning.

"I'm thinking about retiring from being Iron Man."

Steve's eyes widened. This news was coming as a bit of a shock. Tony took pride in being Iron Man and in being an Avenger. He just never really imagined Tony giving it up. But, on the other hand, Steve could see the heavy toll it had taken on his husband. Tony had given so much to the world and had so much taken away. Tony deserved some rest.

"Whatever you decide Tony, I'll support you. And I know that the others will too." Soothed Steve as he wrapped his arm around Tony's shoulder.

"It's not like I want to give up being an Avenger. I can still make things and run intel on missions. It's just… I can't do with fighting anymore." Spoke Tony with a slight hitch in his voice. Steve just held him close.

"You've done so much for everyone Tony. You deserve a rest. If you think this is the best decision for your health than I'll support you."

Tony cuddled up closer to Steve. They spent the next hour just talking and planning how they wanted this all to work out. They made a plan to tell the adults on the team that night and then contact the UN in the next couple of days. When Ana-Maria woke up from her nap, Tony and Steve took the time to play with her and read her a few stories before it was time to pick up Carter from school.

That night, when Tony told the others his plan he was met with a mixture of shock and support. They always knew that there would be a time when the more senior members of the team started to retire, and they supported Tony's decision none the less, but they knew that going forward, things would be different.

Telling the kids was another story. Carter and Peter were extremely surprised and Carter didn't really take it that well. Despite being a genius, he was still only 6 and understanding some of the decisions that adults made still wasn't something he was good at. It took lots of explaining and comforting to get Carter to understand what was going on. That Tony wasn't leaving the Avengers and was just stepping down from fighting.

When Tony told the UN, he was immediately swamped with paperwork to transfer into an "Active-duty Non-combatant" position. They collectively decided that they would wait until May to make a public announcement. It gave everyone time to figure out the logistics.

Things around the compound were changing, and hopefully for the better.

MTHS

With everything being sorted out with Tony's retirement, Tony had more time to devote between SI and his kids. Carter was growing like a weed and got excited over the little things in life. Tony was glad he got to give his kids the childhood he never had.

Carter was thriving at school. He had good friends, he was challenged in his classes and had even taken up t-ball as an extracurricular. Tony was glad Carter was doing well. Peter was doing amazing at college. He was doing well in his classes. He'd joined the robotics team and he and MJ had started dating. Tony was happy that his sons were happy.

As for his daughter, she was something else. For the longest time, she was such a colicky baby. She was always crying and fussing. She had Tony and Steve worried that something was horribly wrong for the longest time. She was fine and healthy, Ana-Maria just had a few attachment issues and a little bit of trauma from seeing her planet destroyed.

After some extensive play therapy and lots of bonding, Ana-Maria started to act just like Carter had when he was a baby. She was smiling and babbling. She loved her stuffed elephant that her uncle Bucky got her. She was hitting all the milestones she was supposed to like crawling and pulling herself up. And, any day now, Tony and Steve were expecting her to say her first word.

"I'm telling you, Steve, her first word is going to be "dada"!" started Tony as he bounced a giggling Ana-Maria in his arms as he helped Steve prepare lunch for the team.

"No way Tones! Have you heard her lately? It's going to be "papa", mark my words." Smiled Steve as he wiped his hands on a dish towel.

This had become an ongoing argument between the two. It was always playful and both of them were more than excited for Ana-Maria to finally say her first word. She was quickly approaching her first birthday and it was high time that she began to find her voice in the world.

Since they didn't know when Ana-Maria's birthday was, they had to make an educated guess. They knew that she was about a month old when they got her in mid-May and that Thanos attacked Xandar two weeks before the war started so, they placed her Birthday at the end of March/beginning of April. With that being said, Tony and Steve got to pick her birthday. And, being the jokesters they were, they decided to make her birthday on April 1st.

So, when April 1st rolled around, Peter came back from school for the day with the intent of being there to celebrate his little sister's first birthday. The party was in the evening so that the kids would be there after school. So, Tony and Steve spent the morning and afternoon just having family time. Peter was home from school, Mama Rhodes was there visiting, and all the Avengers were present and accounted for. It was a nice afternoon. They Avengers shared laughs and Mama Rhodes was very taken with Ana-Maria. She had that baby laughing up a storm. It wasn't until after the older kids got home from school that Ana-Maria did something amazing.

"Nana!" spoke the excited baby as she bounced on Mama Rhodes' lap. Tony and Steve's jaws dropped while Mama Rhodes just smiled brightly.

"Did she just say her first word?" whispered Steve in awe. Tony just nodded and broke out in a smile. Soon enough everyone was laughing and smiling and doting on Ana-Maria.

The rest of the evening was filled with even more smiles. Like with Carter, Tony baked Ana-Maria's smash cake himself. This time, the cake was bright blue with flowers on it. The mess was astronomical but completely worth it.

Seeing his daughter smile and laugh made Tony grateful that he could provide the kind of safe, loving environment that his children deserved.

MTHS

When April 26 rolled around, the mood in the compound was sombre. The air felt heavy with the friends they had lost in the fight. Tony was plagued with nightmares and Steve wasn't doing much better. They both took comfort in each other when the days were rough.

Like with the Battle of New York, the city had thrown a gala to celebrate their victory and to honour the fallen Avengers and Guardians. Tony was having a really rough time of it. He hated being reminded of what happened. Of losing friends and family. Of losing an arm that was still giving him trouble. Of feeling lost and in pain while he was hiding on Titan. It was almost too much for him to process.

And, like with the New York gala. Tony and Steve left early to go be with the kids. The team understood and were there to support their teammates when they need it.

A week later, Tony called the press conference.

"Are you still sure that you want to do this Tony?" asked Steve who was playing devil's advocate. He just wanted Tony to be sure of his decision.

"I'm sure Honey. This is something I need to do. I think… I think things will be better this way. I think we'll be better."

"I'll be waiting right here for you. Now go get'em, tiger." Steve smiled at Tony and Tony smiled back.

The second Tony opened the doors to the conference room there were cameras flashing and people shouting. So, it was just like any other press conference Tony had ever taken part of. Once Tony reached the podium the room slowly began to settle and he took the opportunity to begin.

"Good afternoon everybody. You're probably all wondering why I called this press conference." Tony took a deep breath to compose himself before he made his announcement to the world.

"As of today, I will be officially retiring from being Iron Man with the exception of world-ending events."

The crowd of reporters went nuts. It was the same kind of disorder from his now famous "I am Iron Man" speech.

"Now, before you guys all go crazy with the questions I do have a few things to say. First of all, I am not leaving the Avengers. I will be working from his moment on as an active non-combatant. The Avenger will still continue to work to protect the lives of all citizens of Earth and beyond."

"Mr. Stark." Came a very familiar voice from the front row. Tony looked down and was met with the face of one Christine Everhart. Tony rolled his eyes but motion for her to proceed.

"Mr. Stark, people have been wondering about your mental state and ability to lead the Avengers for over a year now. Has this played a part in your decision to step down from your position."

Tony just huffed. Logically he knew that someone was going to ask a question like that. But that didn't mean he had to like it.

"I will be honest. That has had some pull in me making this decision. I won't go into details, but with the events of the last few years, I need to step down for my own health."

From there Tony answered question after question. It was exhausting and by the end, Tony was ready for a nap. The drive back to the compound was silent. Steve just held Tony close and whispered sweet nothings to him. That night, the team stuck close together and took comfort in each other.

From there, things started getting better for Tony. He was no longer worried about what the next mission would be or if he would make it out alive. He was spending more time with the kids and even more, time creating new green and medical inventions for SI. Pepper was ecstatic that their stock was up 18 points.

And, when May 29th rolled around, and Tony celebrated his 45th birthday. Well, Tony was feeling better than he had in a long time.

* * *

Hey hey hey! I hope you guys all liked the chapter. I know that this one was a little shorter but I felt it was nice not to feel the pressure to write a whole lot. I've been feeling pretty sick lately and writing has been my happy place. Right now I'm in medical hell. Like our boi Clint, I have hearing problems and I have to wait to see if I got this grant to cover the cost of hearing aids. I hope I do. Hearing aids cost about 1900$ more than my damn phone. I hate that so much. Well enough about my problems. The next chapter should be up shortly. I hope y'all are enjoying these happy chapters. Until next time -Shadows


	35. Of course I'm a dad! Have you met me!

Hello people of the interwebs. This chapter is once again a bit of a shorter one. But, on the plus side, it's a happy one. Just smiles and laughing children. No warnings here. I'll see you at the end.

* * *

When summer rolled around, Peter came home from his first year of college with so many stories. He had passed all his exams with flying colours and Tony couldn't be prouder of his eldest. Summer also meant vacation time. Each Avenger had a week they could take where they didn't have to worry about being called in. So, over Carter and Steve's birthday's, Tony took his whole family out to their island. The same island where Tony and Steve spent their honeymoon. The kids loved spending time at the beach. They discovered that Ana-Maria had a love of water. Tony had Peter be the one to take her swimming in the ocean. Even after all these years, Tony still didn't like water after Afghanistan. Steve took the time to work on some new art pieces. His art career was finally taking off and Steve had a show coming up at the Guggenheim in the fall. Tony was so proud of him.

Tony loved spending time with his family. It was nice. He never really had anything like this growing up, so Tony took every opportunity he had to spend as much time as possible. With a now smaller workload, Tony had the time to do more things that he wanted to do. SI's stocks were doing fantastic and all the new green inventions and medical assist devices were skyrocketing Stark Industries into a new age.

When they got back home, Peter took off again to go travelling around Europe with his friends. He promised to take tonnes of pictures. Summer at the compound was hectic with so many children running around. Their Asgardian friends would often come over to visit so that all the kids could play together. Loki, now that things were going smoothly in his life, was actually a pretty cool guy. Well, he was cool when he wasn't flirting with Tony. That still pissed Steve off. Tony was his fella and he didn't appreciate other people going after him.

Ana-Maria was now walking and now that she had figured out how to do so, she was unstoppable. Tony and Steve were constantly chasing her all over the place as she tried to explore every inch of the compound.

Tony was actually doing well. Now that he'd had plenty of time to get a handle on his powers, Tony was able to use his clairvoyance to help predict where HYDRA bases were and when disasters were going to happen. Even if Tony wasn't fighting anymore, he still did what he could to help out.

By the time summer was over and the kids got back to school, Tony got to thinking. It was a bit of an impulsive thought, but one he knew Steve might like.

"I'm thinking of getting a couple tattoos." Spoke Tony one afternoon interrupting Steve's drawing time.

"What brought this on?"

"Well, I've always wanted a tattoo and I thought "why not get ones in honour of our kids?""

"I kind of like that. Where would you get them?"

"Probably on my right shoulder. So, what do you think stud? Wanna help me design some tattoos?"

Steve let out a small laugh and pulled his husband onto his lap and kissed him. They spent the rest of the afternoon drawing together. And, after Steve expressed interest, Tony started to work on a super soldier proof ink that could work on Steve.

A week later found both Tony and Steve at some high-class tattoo shop in Brooklyn. The second their artists touched the needles to their skin, neither of them was fazed at all. They'd had to deal with so much worse in their line of work that this was nothing. The only time Tony even winced was when the artist was tattooing over some decade old scar tissue.

After hours of tattooing, they were finally done. And they loved it. On Tony and Steve's right shoulders were the tattoos for their kids. They had Peter's Spider-Man logo, Carter's Iron Shield logo, and a sunflower for Ana-Maria. Now, no matter how far they were, they would always have their kids with them. On their chests, over their hearts were a set of special tattoos. Over Tony's heart was Steve's shield and the Avengers A, while on Steve's chest was Tony's arc reactor and a matching A.

When they got back to the compound they were quick to show off their new ink. Carter thought the tattoos were really cool and Peter was only a little embarrassed. As for the other Avengers, well, they were quick to go out and get matching A tattoos. They were a close-knit team after all.

Once the tattoos had healed, Tony and Steve decided to post a picture of them together on Instagram. Both of them were wearing opened white button-ups to show off their chest tattoos and laying down in the grass outside the compound. Their heads were together and they were laughing.

tstark Me and my hunky ass husband got matching tattoos. We have others but I won't say where 3

captain_america_official I couldn't be happier spending the rest of my life with my husband and kids. I don't know what I'd do without them. Now, where ever I go, I'll always have them with me.

Everyone made fun of Steve for being a huge sap with his caption.

Like with most things that they posted, the internet exploded with they saw the picture. So many people were gushing over the picture saying how Tony and Steve were #relationshipgoals. #superhusbands was trending for a week straight.

A few days after the internet exploded Tony was going through the Avenger's business email. Most of it was spam from companies wanting to use their image. As a rule of thumb, the Avengers really only worked with non-profits, with a few exceptions. There was an email about a new training demonstration from the UN that Tony forwarded to Steve. Tony had been at the whole email thing for a good hour at this point when he decided to refresh the page. There, at the top of the page, was a new email that was guaranteed to put a smile on Tony's face.

"Hey Stevie, we got invited to go on Ellen. Wanna go?" yelled Tony from across the office to where Steve was sitting. He was on the ground playing a counting game with Ana-Maria.

"Is that even a question, Tony? Of course, I want to go on Ellen!" exclaimed Steve with a smile.

So, after replying to the invitation and sending any pictures in that they wanted they were good to go and a week later they were at the studio and ready to film. Happy came along to babysit the little ones while Tony and Steve drove off to the studio.

Ellen welcomed them personally when they got there and into their green room. They were all smiling as they were briefed on what was going to happen and they got dressed. Tony was sporting a suit jacket and an old band shirt while Steve sported an old blue button down and his brown leather jacket.

"Hello everybody! We have a very show in store for today. I'm pleased to welcome out our guests for the day, Tony and Steven Stark!" announced Ellen and both Tony and Steve walked out to join her on the couch to thunderous applause.

"So, how are you guys doing today?" asked Ellen once Tony and Steve were seated.

"We're doing well. A little tired. Our youngest was up all night for no reason." Spoke Steve with a smile.

"And how is it having kids? You guys have three correct?"

"That's right. We've got three absolutely amazing kids. Peter, our oldest, is in his second year at MIT." Smiled Tony as a picture of Peter and his siblings was put up on the screen. "Carter, he's our middle child. Well, he's in the third grade now and he's doing amazing. And then there's Ana-Maria. She's the baby of the family." Both Tony and Steve were smiling as they talked about their kids.

"Now, not to be insensitive or anything, but I couldn't help but notice that your daughter is blue."

"That's right. We adopted her a year and a half ago from a planet called Xandar. The planet was completely decimated and she was just left alone. Now she's with us and is an absolute angel." Explained Steve. They had decided to show the world their daughter while she was young so that they could control all the hate and bullying before she even went to school.

So far, everyone seemed to love her, especially once they showed a video of Carter and Ana-Maria playing blocks together.

"So," continued Ellen. "Tony. Now that you've retired from being a full-time hero, how are you finding life?"

"It's not as calm as I would like. Between my work for SI and running intel for the team, it's rare that we get some downtime. But in the end, it's worth it. We have some new product announcements coming soon and our last Avengers mission was a success."

There were a few more questions that Tony and Steve were able to answer about the Avengers. Soon enough, it was time for the fun bits.

"Alright, guys now for what everyone wants. Let's talk about these tattoos of yours." Everyone in the audience cheered and Steve blushed causing Tony to laugh.

"Yes, let's talk about the tattoos!" smiled Tony and Steve just facepalmed. "What do you want to know about the tattoos?"

"Well to start, why?"

"Well, it was my idea to begin with." Started Tony, "It was a little bit of an impulsive decision, but Stevie and I worked together to design all of them."

"Now, in your post, you talked about having other tattoos other than the ones on your chests. Can we have any insight into them." Steve nodded and took over.

"They're on our right shoulder. We have one representing each of our kids. They're a little more personal so we won't be showing them."

There were a few more questions about the tattoos and a little bit more ogling at Tony and Steve's abs before they got into the really fun stuff.

"Alright guys, it's time for us to play a game. I'm going to ask both of you true or false questions about the other and you're going to have to guess. Shall we start?" Tony and Steve nodded and were handed paddles with "true" written on one side, and "false" written on the other.

"Ok, let's start with you, Tony. True or false. Steve had never broken a bone."

"I know my husband, come on! It's true. He broke a finger two weeks ago on a mission. He just heals up fast because of the serum."

"Ding ding ding! That is correct! Now, Steve, this one's for you. True or false, Tony decided to make a sentient refrigerator while at MIT."

"False! It was a toaster and Rhodey still has it!"

The rest of the questions continued in a similar fashion and honestly, they had a lot of fun. When filming was over, Tony and Steve thanked Happy for watching the kids and they spent the rest of the night playing games and eating pizza. It was nice to spend time as a family away from all the craziness back at the compound.

* * *

Hello, peoples of the internet. Did y'all see the Superbowl Endgame trailer?! I'm dead! I'm literally dead! I just can't even. I know it's short but my brain is just giving up and I'm dead!

Well, enough freaking out. I hope you guys liked this chapter. I love the idea of Tony and Steve getting matching tattoos. I actually have a couple of tattoos myself. I have the pulsar star map to Earth from the Voyager Golden Disk on my right shoulder, and I also have Tony's modified arc reactor from IM2 on my right inner arm. Tattoos are fun and I'm actually planning to get more once I have some money. I don't really have that much else to say. See you next chapter -Shadows


	36. The coolest kids in town

Hello my friends. No chapter warnings here. Nope, not one. Although, it is recommended that you read chapter 5 of "The Avengers need better PR than this!" There is a major reference to the chapter of the fic in this chapter. While you're at it, why not read the other fics in this series. They're all up and they all take place during MTHS. Well, I'll see you at the end. Prepare for some laughs.

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Fall turned to winter. Winter turned to spring. Spring turned to summer. Time was passing and Tony and Steve's kids grew up more and more. Ana-Maria turned two and was a talkative ball of energy. Carter turned 8 and started fifth grade. He was excelling at school and was starting to make more friends. Peter was doing amazing at MIT and because of his grades and how he'd gone about taking his classes, Peter was ready to earn his BSc before moving on to his master's degree. Tony and Steve were so proud of their kids.

Rhodey and Clint had stepped down from being full-time Avengers. Rhodey couldn't keep up as well with his leg braces and Clint was starting to lose his precision. They joined Tony in working on a special task force that specialized in extreme cyber crimes and tracking known villains through the dark web. Steve, Thor, Bruce, Natasha, Bucky, Scott, Hope, and Loki were still on their active team. The Guardians joined in whenever they were back Earthside. They came to visit often and they always brought fun stories when they stopped by. Captain Danvers was also back and forth. Rhodey was completely taken with her and Tony couldn't stop teasing his brother.

Although, Rhodey did successfully ask her out on a date so who's laughing now!?

On another note, there had been a small little change to family life at the compound. It wasn't that much of a surprise all things considering. Although, Natasha went a little crazy with all the shopping and stuff involved with the whole situation.

You see, just after Clint's youngest child, Nathaniel turned 3 they started to notice they the child was more drawn to typically feminine things. Nobody really batted an eye and just let Nathaniel play. But, once Nathaniel turned 5 and was getting ready to go to school, he threw the mother of all temper tantrums.

Nathaniel went off about how he didn't want to be a boy and how she was a girl and that she hated being treated as a boy. It kind of broke everyone's heart. Although, when Natasha heard all the crying, she rushed forward, scooped up the youngest Barton, and proclaimed her to be a true double agent.

From that moment on Nathaniel Pietro Barton became Natasha Wanda Barton and was overjoyed that he auntie Nat took her to ballet lessons every week. So, everybody began putting in an effort to remember mini Natasha's pronouns and respecting her as the sweet little girl she was. Lila and Cassie taught her how to do her hair and nails and Ana-Maria would always drag her cousin away to play with dolls.

So, in reality, life didn't really change at all. Tony helped Clint and Laura find a good therapist and doctor for their youngest and life at the compound continued on with one kid now being happier than they ever had been.

It was mid-November when Carter came home from school clutching a piece of paper to his chest with the biggest smile on his face. He ran up to his parents who were in the kitchen with Ana-Maria and was practically jumping up and down with excitement.

"What's got you so excited Jellybean?" asked Steve as he cut up a few apple slices with cheese to give to Carter as an after-school snack.

"I have a form for you and Dad to fill out." Smiled Carter as he placed the paper on the table in front of his parents.

Steve picked it up and began reading it. It was a sign-up form for Career Day. One or more of each child's parents in Carter's class could come in and give a short presentation about their job so that the class could learn about all the different careers out there.

"Can you and Dad please both go?" pleaded Carter as he gave his parents the best puppy dog eyes he could muster. Carter really did have his Dad's eyes.

"Sure thing Bambino. We'll make sure to make the time on that day. Rhodey can lead the task force and we don't have any missions planned. We'll be there." Smiled Tony as he ruffled his son's hair and placed his daughter in her high chair.

For the rest of the evening, Carter was all smiles. Tony and Steve on the other hand only had a few days to prepare their presentations. They had to make a 15-minute presentation that was child appropriate as well as bring in something about their job to show the class. Steve had it easy. He just had to talk about being an Avenger and he was going to bring in his shield. Tony had a bit more difficulty. Stark Industries had so many different divisions and Tony did work for all of them as well as doing all the work as the owner of the company. Pepper may be the CEO but Tony still did all the inventing and work surrounding RnD. Choosing just one thing to focus on was going to be difficult.

By the time career day rolled around Tony and Steve had everything prepared and loaded up in the car. Tony had to attach a small transport trailer for his show and tell item but it was cleared with Carter's school so no harm done.

That morning Carter was practically bouncing off the walls with excitement. He could not stop talking about how all the other kids would think he was cool once they saw who his parents were. Even though Carter was starting to make friends, he was still the youngest and smallest in his class and that lead to bullying. This was sort of Carter's way of telling the bullies that they couldn't touch him.

After breakfast and making sure that Ana-Maria was safe with Laura for the day, the little family bundled into the car and drove off to school. They arrived early so that Tony had time to stash his show and tell item in a safe place where kids wouldn't hurt it.

By the time class started for the day, Carter was a little ball of energy. The desks in the classroom had been removed and in their place were rows of chairs for the parents to sit down on. So, Tony and Steve took a seat off to the side while Carter joined the rest of his class on the carpet.

Once everyone was seated, Carter's teacher began to explain how the day would look. Each parent had a time slot and they had a pre-set order to go in. Steve was going just before lunch and Tony was going right before the end of the day. This was mainly because once the kids started learning about being a superhero they weren't likely to pay attention to other stuff. Soon the day began and the first presentation started.

First up was one of Carter's friend Aubrey's moms. Tony and Steve had met her parents a few times and they got along well. Aubrey's Mom, Ashley, owned her own bakery and brought in some cookies for the class while Aubrey's Mama, Clara, worked as a lawyer.

The morning moved on with other parents going up to present to the kids. There were doctors, lawyers, police officers, the works. The kids couldn't believe how many different jobs there were and it was blowing their minds.

Just before lunch, it was Steve's turn to present. He walked up to the front of the class, shield in hand and instantly had everyone's attention.

"Hello everybody. My name is Steven Stark but you probably know me better as Captain America. I'm here to talk about my job as an Avenger." The second Steve said "Avenger" even the most fidgety kids in the class had Steve's full attention.

"Now, a big part of my job is going out and fighting large threats like HYDRA or stopping world ending villains. But, to be truthful, I'm not actually out in the field that often. Most of the job is either recon work, meetings with the United Nations, or paperwork. The meetings the Avengers have with the UN are mostly for mission debriefings and to discuss future plans of action. But when we are on the field things can get messy really fast. Now, how about I answer some questions."

Instantly almost every hand in the class shot up. Steve spent the next five minutes answering kids questions and even a few from the adults. Tony couldn't help but smile at his husband let the kids attempt to hold his shield.

Soon after it was time for lunch. Carter went to the cafeteria with the rest of his class while the parents mingled for a bit over coffee and sandwiches. A few of the more snooty parents poked fun at Tony for eating "commoner food". To which Tony responded;

"I have a toddler at home and a couple of bots that think motor oil is human food. I think I'll be alright."

Steve just laughed as well as Carter's friends' parents and a few other adults. Everyone there knew what it was like to try and eat with a toddler.

When the kids came back from recess they quickly returned to their spots on the carpet ready for more presentations. Once the adults had taken a seat once more they could begin. One by one the remaining parents began to talk about their jobs. The most memorable to Tony was the mother who was a chemist. She did a demonstration that involved so much slime that caused the kids to go crazy. Kids liked slime and Tony couldn't understand how that trend started.

Once the end of the day rolled around, it was finally Tony's turn. As he walked up to the front of the class, Steve left the room to go retrieve Tony's show and tell item.

"Hi, there everybody. I'm Dr. Anthony Stark and today I'm going to tell you what it's like to be an inventor and the leader of the Avengers Cyber Crime Task Force." Like with Steve, Tony had everyone's complete attention.

"Now to start off, most of the inventing I do is for Stark Industries where I design new eco-tech and mechanical prosthetics such as mine, Colonel Rhodes, and Sargent Barnes'. Back at the Avengers compound, I do most of the inventing from my lab. That's also where I lead the new task force. We specialize in deep web takedowns and monitoring HYDRA cells. Although personally, I prefer inventing. It's always exciting when you create something new and it works. Now, when I'm in my lab I have help. Mostly with carrying extremely heavy objects or if I need another set of hands. So, everybody, I'd like to introduce you to my oldest lab helper, DUM-E!"

And with that Steve opened the door to the classroom and DUM-E rolled in. The bot was chirping excitedly as the kids all jumped up to greet the bot. Tony told them all a little bit about DUM-E while the bot tried to shake each kids hand. Everybody was having an amazing time.

When the end of day bell rang the kids said their goodbyes to DUM-E and left with their parents to go home. The Stark family stayed back to wait for the halls to clear so that DUM-E wouldn't get in the way of others.

"You guys are the coolest parents ever!" shouted Carter excitedly as Tony got him buckled up in his car seat. Tony just smiled and Steve laughed a bit.

"We'd better treasure this now Tones. He won't be saying that when he's a teenager."

Carter let out an indignant little huff as the Stark family began their drive back to the compound.

MTHS

"Clinton! Get your butt over here!" shouted Tony one snowy day in February.

"What is it?!" shouted the retired archer as he came sprinting into the common room where Tony was sitting.

"So, remember that lip-sync battle we had back in 2013?" Clint nodded. "Care for a rematch? And when I say rematch I mean an official rematch on the show Lip Sync Battle!"

"FUCK YES!"

And that was how two weeks later Clint and Tony found themselves in California doing a dress rehearsal in spandex. Steve, Laura, and their older kids had tagged along while Ana-Maria and Mini Natasha stayed behind at the compound with the rest of the Avengers.

It was actually hard work. There where set pieces to make, costumes to fabricate, and dances to learn. But in the end, both Tony and Clint knew that they would be putting on a good show. When the afternoon of the taping rolled around everything was good to go. Costumes were read, props were ready, and the place was packed. Tony and Clint's spouses and children were there watching from one of the balconies and they were ready to go.

"Dad's going to make himself look like an idiot isn't he?" spoke Carter from his place on Steve's lap. Steve just let out a small laugh.

"Just be thankful that you weren't there to witness the first one, Carter. That sure was something."

"You know I'll just look up the video when we get home."

"I'm like 99% sure that your Dad has that video locked from you kids viewing it. Trust me, Carter. Just trust me."

Not long after that, the show commenced. LL Cool J entered the stage and made a few introductions to start getting the crowd hyped up. There was screaming and shouting and there was a certain electricity in the air and everyone was there for it. Soon enough, it was time for Tony and Clint to take the stage.

"Alright, everybody! Tonight we have some very special contestants here on LSB. Please welcome, all the way from the Avengers, Clint Barton!" Clint came out onto the stage jumping and waving at everyone. He was almost like an excitable puppy like he was somehow channelling Thor. Clint was all dressed up in black pants and a nice royal purple button down.

"And now our competitor, also from the Avengers. Please welcome the one and only Tony Stark!" There was a very loud applause as Tony ran out and started high-fiving people. He was wearing black slacks and an open white button down that let his arc reactor and dog-tags show.

"So, how are you guys doing? Are y'all ready for a rematch?" asked LL Cool J and both Tony and Clint nodded.

"I would have won last time if Tony hadn't turned on the sex appeal!" complained Clint as he shook his friend's shoulder.

"That's not ending anytime soon Birdbrain. Just you wait, I'm going to win again. Calling it now!"

"Alright, guys. Stark if you'd like to have a seat in the VIP lounge we can get this show on the road." With that Tony went to go take a seat while Clint got up and took over the mic.

"Alright, everyone. First up we have Clint Barton preforming Problem by Arianna Grande."

The second the music started Clint got into his grove. His dancing had improved since their last battle and when the rapping part of the song started Clint really got into it. He wasn't afraid to try and be sexy like last time. He had the audience cheering and clapping as he danced around the stage in what was akin to a show horse. Still, it was way better than last time. When the music ended Clint took a bow as LL Cool J came back to give a quick interview.

"Man, that was a masterpiece! So what made you pick that song?"

"My daughters Lila and Natasha actually picked the song out for me so you can thank them." Smiled Clint as he waved up to where Laura, Cooper, and Lila were sitting.

Soon after Clint was done it was Tony's turn. The second the music started, Tony's outfit made perfect sense. He was performing Sexy Back by Justin Timberlake and just like last time, Tony wasn't afraid to bring out the sex appeal. Now, with Tony now having a younger body due to the time stone, he had a bit of a trick up his sleeve. You see, when Tony was younger, he used to be insanely flexible, and now he was using that to his advantage. The crowd was absolutely screaming once he song ended and Tony took a bow.

"Holy fuck! Who knew Stark had moved like that?"

"My husband." Smirked Tony before blushing a bit. "And I'm also like 99% certain that I just traumatized my kid, so there's that." That made Clint laugh like a lunatic.

After that, it was time for Clint and Tony to go get dressed and ready for the larger performance. Clint was up first so he had to rush to get his costume on right while Tony got to chill in a bathrobe off to the side. But, Clint managed to get ready on time.

When the lights rose the stage was lined on the outside with three long metal ballet barres with various back-up dancers draped over them stretching. When the music started, Clint strutted out onto the stage wearing a pink body suit, sheer tights, and black leg and arm warmers. He was performing to Maniac by Michael Sembello and the whole routine was just like one of those 80's work-out videos. Clint was going full out using every ounce of energy he had to pull off the best performance. To be honest, it was absolutely amazing and everyone was cheering.

Once the music ended Clint was practically breathless as he attempted to give his interview while Tony finished getting ready.

Once it was Tony's turn, the audience was waiting in anticipation. When the lights rose on the stage it remained dark with only some red lights, just bright enough to see the stage covered in tombstones and fog. The second the music started the audience freaked out. Tony was doing Thriller by Michael Jackson and was dressed similarly to the music video. What made everything even better was the fact that Tony was recreating the dance. Now, Jackson dances are known to be difficult and the fact that Tony was doing it near perfectly had everyone going mad. It was insane. Even Clint was impressed at the level of skill involved.

"Alright people it's time for us to gather the votes and pick out new LSB champion!" announced LL Cool J after Clint had joined Tony on the stage and Tony had had a chance to catch his breath.

"Who thinks Clint should be the winner?" the crowd erupted in applause and cheers as Clint jumped around and waved.

"And who thinks Tony should win?" Tony help out his arms as the cheering got louder and louder. Tony gave Clint a little smirk.

"And the winner of this episode of LSB id the one and only, Tony Stark!" The crowd kept cheering as Tony was handed the winners' belt and took a bow. He gave Clint a little bro hug and the two jokes around a bit as they headed backstage.

Once the audience was gone Tony and Clint's kids came running up to them to congratulate their fathers. Steve and Laura were right behind them. The rest of the night was spent making jokes and treating the kids to ice cream sundaes.

It was moments like this, moments filled with happiness and laughter that made life worth living.

* * *

And hello! I hope you liked the chapter. The part with Clint's youngest child being trans came from a well known Tumblr post. If I can find the link to the original I'll post it right away. If you find it first then send it to me. I want to give credit where credit is due. On a related note, one thing that you guys might not know about me unless you follow me on Tumblr (lupinthelachemist) is that I'm trans. So, having a character like me is important. I want to give little Natasha Barton all the love and respect that I never got as a kid. It took forever for me to figure out who I was because I just thought that I was broken and stuff for not liking girls things and feeling like I should have been a boy and not a girl. (I'm FtM) Other than that, I hope you enjoyed the call back to the lip-sync battle. It took forever to find the right songs but I think I did ok! Also, as you can see, there aren't a whole lot of chapters left in this fic. I only have 4 left to write because the last one is already done! I can't believe how far I've come. Well enough yammering on. I'll see you next chapter -Shadows


	37. Wedding bells are ringing

Hello friends. I hope you like fluff and tooth-rotting sweetness. If you do, then this chapter is for you. No warnings here other than you may need to eat some vegetables to counteract the sweetness. Also, this is a bit more of a Peter-centric chapter. It's always fun to check in with the next generation of heroes. They deserve all the loves. Happy reading!

* * *

Time continued on and life with it. Peter started working on his master's degree and was now working as a fully fledged Avenger. In the past, Peter would have continued to keep his identity as Spider-Man a secret. But life was different now. He didn't have to worry about exposing his family if he came out as a hero. They were already in that situation. So, the week after Peter's 20th birthday and his announcement of becoming an Avenger, Peter called for a press conference.

At first, nobody really thought anything about it. Peter was a Stark. Well, not by blood, but family is so much more than blood. The press just thought it was called because Peter was a Stark and they knew that eventually, he'd hold a prominent place at Stark Industries.

Oh, how wrong they were. Well, they weren't wrong about Peter holding a place at SI. The young man was starting to learn the rope of what it took to work in RnD. But no, that wasn't the reason. Peter was a Stark, and Starks were known for causing a scene. So, with Peter dressed in his nicest suit, and with Ned and MJ lurking off to the side, Peter took to the stage with the biggest shit-eating grin he had.

"Hello everybody. Now, I'm sure you're all curious as to why I've called this conference. Like, I don't currently hold a prominent position at SI, and I'm still at school. So why would I call a conference? Well, I'm a Stark. Maybe not by blood, but I've learned from the best what it takes." Peter was starting to feel a bit antsy as the atmosphere in the room changed. Ned gave him a thumbs up before he continued.

"Now, I'm sure that you all recall the Avengers press conference held a week ago when they introduced their newest member, Spider-Man. He didn't give you much information did he? Hell, none of you guys even know what he looks like under the suit. So, I've decided to take a page out of my Dad's book and just cause the world to go insane." The room was absolutely silent and Peter took that as his cue. With a smile over to Ned and MJ, Peter proceeded to turn the world upside-down.

"The truth is, I am Spider-Man."

As predicted, the room exploded into chaos as reporters tried to ask their questions. Peter just smiled and answered what he could. The biggest one was a really stupid reporter asking if Tony had forced him into it. Peter responded with snarky laughter. He told that reporter that he had been Spider-Man well before he'd been adopted and that Tony and the rest of the Avengers had given Peter everything he needed to stay safe and to succeed as a hero and as a person with his own dreams and ambitions. All in all, it was one of the more controlled press conferences ever held by a Stark.

When Peter returned home to the compound that night, Tony and Steve were still laughing about the press conference. Tony was proud that Peter had taken a page out of his book on how to cause a scene with the press. Steve, Rhodey, and Pepper on the other hand… Well, they just rolled with it. Turns out that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. They could only hope that Carter and Ana-Maria didn't grow up to annoy the press further. Although they all knew that that was just a dream.

MTHS

Two years had passed since Peter had outed himself as Spider-Man, and life at the compound had changed. First of all, Hope and Scott had gotten married in a beautiful ceremony. Cassie had been the flower girl and had been over the moon excited about her role. Hope had looked stunning in her dress. It was a white A-line with a lace bodice. She carried a bouquet of yellow roses and Scott had cried when he saw her.

Only a few months after their wedding, Hope had announced that she was pregnant. Turns out that condoms were something that they forgot to pack for their honeymoon. Either way, everyone was excited about the new baby. Ana-Maria was especially excited once she finally understood what was going on.

7 months after the announcement, the team welcomed Christopher Henry Lang to the family.

In other news, Ana-Maria had started to find her way in the world. At 4- and-a-half she was very energetic and outspoken. Everyone loved her and her spunky attitude. She didn't let the fact that she was blue and looked different than everybody else bother her. She knew she was special and used that to her advantage. It was hard to resist when she turned on the puppy dog eyes. So, when she decided that she wanted her nickname to be Annie, everyone just rolled with it. Ana-Maria was a bit of a mouthful for a little kid anyway.

Carter continued to excel in school and was doing well at his new middle school. He was showing an aptitude for robotics just like his dad. Where Peter excelled in the more biological side of things such as bioengineering, Carter was more hands-on and liked building. Peter and Carter were already working together to make a whole new line of prosthetics once Carter was old enough to work for SI. Tony didn't want him working before he was 16. He wanted his kids to have an actual childhood unlike his own. That being said, Tony was fully on board with his kids inventing and being creative. He encouraged it. But, he still made sure that it was always their decision and not out of some mislead thought on trying to live up to the Stark name. Tony was not Howard, and he was proud of that fact.

A few months later, Peter decided that it was once again time to shake things up at the compound. Things had been pretty calm as of late and it was high time there was a party.

So, on February 8th, 2023, Peter took MJ out to their favourite little restaurant in Queens. It was a small Italian joint near Peter's old apartment. At least once a week Peter went their with Ned and MJ to just talk. They were all working for SI but their jobs didn't have a whole lot of overlap. While Peter worked in RnD, Ned worked in assembly while MJ was shadowing Pepper Potts. MJ was turning out to be fantastic at all the CEO stuff and taking care of the media.

But back to dinner. Peter took MJ out that night because he had plans. Big plans. Hiding in Peter's pocket was a ring. It was a simple silver band with a 3 diamond inlay. It was the ring he was planning to propose with. Surprisingly, Peter wasn't nervous. He had gotten some helpful tips from Steve and Clint before he left and he felt confident that MJ would say yes.

Once they were all seated they ordered their favourites and talked about their day. MJ had been learning what it was like to work with the board of directors while Peter had been training with the team all day. Steve had them running endurance drills that left even Bucky complaining. Although, it was kind of funny to listen to all the ridiculous names Bucky came up with to insult Steve.

The two spent the evening laughing and making stupid jokes. They hadn't really grown up much in terms of humour since high school. It didn't help that their friend Shuri was an instigator when it came to stupid humour. When it was time for dessert, Peter ordered them some cannoli's and tiramisu to share. About halfway through, Peter smiled at his girlfriend, got down on one knee, and opened up the black velvet ring box.

"Michelle, you've been one of my closest friends since high school. You've been there to support me through some of the most emotional moments in my life. You've been there through late night, coffee-fueled study binges and through starting our careers. I want to be there with you for so many more moments where we're together. So, Michelle Jones, will you marry me?" Peter looked up with expectant eyes. MJ on the other hand just let out a little snort.

"Of course I'll marry you, you idiot. Who else you help you keep life under control." She smiled and Peter almost cried as he slid the engagement ring onto her finger. Peter was always the more emotional of the two.

When they got back home to the compound that night they were met with congratulations from the whole team and the kids. Tony couldn't stop teasing his eldest son but it was all with love. Tony just couldn't really reconcile with the fact that Peter, the same kid who still got excited over new Lego sets, was all grown up and getting married.

MJ and Shuri went a little bit crazy in planning the wedding. By their wedding date, August 24th, everything was ready to go and it looked insane. It was a small affair. Just the Avengers, their families, Shuri, T'Challa, and MJ's family. It was a beautiful ceremony with the hall decorated in reds and blues with gold accents. Annie, who was now five, was their flower girl. She looked so cute in her creamy blue dress and braided blonde hair. Carter, who had just turned 11 the month before, was the ring bearer. Ned was Peter's best man while Shuri was MJ's. Everyone cried at some point, especially Tony, Steve, and MJ's father.

The reception was just as big of a party as expected. There was good music, dancing, and plenty of games for the younger kids. Tony took the time to pass on some helpful words of advice to his son who just gave him a hug in response and told him not to worry.

"Pete, you're my kid. I'm always going to worry about you."

When Peter and MJ left to go on their honeymoon, Tony and Steve took a moment to reflect on their own marriage. Sure, it wasn't perfect. They'd been through all sorts of ups and downs. But at the end of the day, they still loved each other with all their heart. Tony hoped that Peter and MJ would be the same.

* * *

So, did y'all like this happy little chapter. I thought it was cute. The world needs more love so I decided to give it some. So many happy things. Well, I don't have too much to say about this chapter. It was cute with a bit of humour. The kids are growing up and Tony is not ready for that. Well, that's about it. I'll see you next chapter! -Shadows


	38. All grown up

Hello hello hello! Welcome to another chapter. No warnings here. Just good old fashion fluff and a nice dose of stupidity and sand. Also, if you haven't read "The Avengers need better PR than this!" then go read it! I reference it heavily in this chapter It's part of this story and it's funny! Well, enough with this, on with the chapter!

* * *

The years continued to go by and life at the compound continued on. There had been no other world-ending catastrophes in the last few years. HYDRA had resurfaced once more and was causing problems, but nothing that would end the world. On the last mission, Steve had managed to break his leg in three places due to being trapped under a fallen bridge. He was laid up for a week to heal properly. Tony thought it was a bit funny but helped his loving husband none the less.

Carter had finally graduated high school at the age of 15. He would be going off to MIT in the fall to follow in Tony and Peter's footsteps. He was majoring in bioengineering and was ready to start inventing things in his own right.

That fall, once Carter had turned sixteen and was ready to head off to MIT, Tony once again had a bit of a breakdown. He couldn't believe that the little baby he had raised was heading off to MIT. It seemed like just yesterday that Carter was saying his first words and taking his first steps. Tony and Steve had a bit of a cry over that while looking at baby photos. Carter just thought his parents were weird.

One thing Carter had started to grow into now that he was older, was the control over his powers. He often used them to perform mundane tasks just to annoy people. He had even started to design what he wanted his super suit to look like. Carter wanted repulsor boots to fly like his Dad, a more form-fitting and flexible suit like Peter, and a protective cowl like his Pops. All of it was going to done in shades of red, blue, and gold. Carter had wanted a cape like Vision and Uncle Thor, but they all talked him out of it. Carter couldn't wait to become a fully fledged hero. He just wanted to get his first doctorate first so that people would be forced to call him Dr. Iron Shield. He thought it was funny.

Now that Carter had moved away from home and same with the older Barton kids and Cassie Lang, the compound felt almost empty with only three kids running around. Annie had taken up dance lessons as an extracurricular. With her species being known for their flexibility, she excelled at it. Tony had taken to calling her his "Tiny Dancer" after the Elton John song while doing her hair for her classes. Now that she was 10, Annie decided to audition for the competitive team. She got on and was even given two solos for the season. Tony and Steve were so proud.

That first season Annie had a Tap solo and a Ballet solo as well as a few group numbers in lyrical and jazz. Annie excelled in Tap and Ballet more than the other styles. Plus they were her favourites. She would often be found tapping in the kitchen while waiting for food or practicing her solos in the bathroom. Tony, on the other hand, had become the master at doing hair and stage make-up.

Annie had made it all the way to The Dance Awards that year and she got to perform both of her solos; "Bossanova Baby", her Tap solo, and "August", her Ballet solo. Tony and Steve were right there in the audience applauding and cheering the loudest when Annie won Best Junior Dancer of the Year. Annie had worked so hard, she deserved it.

With all three of Tony and Steve's kids growing up and finding their way in the world, they had a lot of time to reflect. Well, they had a lot of time when they weren't working or saving the world. Their day jobs took up a fair amount of time. But, they still had a fair amount of time none the less. It was kind of reminiscent of life back when the team had just formed. Before all the mission, before all the drama, there were just six heroes trying to learn how to live together.

"I think we need a vacation." Spoke Tony quite frankly one afternoon.

"What were you thinking?" asked Steve as he walked over to where Tony was sitting on the couch and curled up with him.

"I was thinking of just us original six Avengers taking a week to just relax and talk. It's been about 17 years since the team first formed and we've been through hell and back together. I think it would be nice if we had some time to just be together and talk without all the other responsibilities we have. Just for a little while." Explained Tony as he looked up at his husband. Steve just smiled back.

"I think that's a great idea. We need a break and I think it would be nice to go back to where everything started."

"Well, I'll start drawing up some plans so we can rope our friends into coming." Smirked Tony as he made to get up. Steve grabbed his hand to stop him.

"I do have some news to share with you before you go running off to your lab to make plans." Smiled Steve and Tony just knew it had to be good.

"And what new would that be stud."

"I found a few gray hairs this morning, Tony. I'm ageing! With you having a younger body we can finally grow old together!" smiled Steve and Tony pulled him close into a crushing hug. With Tony and Steve's bodies being around the same age physically coupled with Steve actually ageing like a normal person, it was a dream come true. They would get to grow old together. They had all there years in front of them that they would get to see together. It was always together.

A couple of weeks later Tony had drawn up a vacation plan and managed to get all six original Avengers on board. They were going to spend a week in Malibu at Tony's old house. It would be a time for all of them to relax and remember the good old days when life consisted of teaching Thor about Earth culture and Clint pulling stupid pranks from the vents. But to be fair, Clint never really stopped playing stupid pranks from the vents.

So, with the kids being taken care of, the original team set off in one of Tony's private jets to enjoy some fun in the sun. When they arrived in Malibu the house was already stocked and good to go. The rooms were ready and Tony had had his old workshop cleaned so that he and Bruce could tinker. He knew the team was just as excited about the trip. When they arrived, Tony gave everyone the grand tour before they all went off to choose rooms. Tony and Steve naturally took Tony's old master bedroom. The rest of that first day was met with Thor and Clint being dumbasses in the pool while everyone else egged them on. That night, they decided to make a bonfire out on the beach and just talk.

"Remember that time Thor tried to teach everyone about Asgardian cooking and the floor got covered in potatoes." Smirked Clint as he speared another marshmallow with his stick.

"If I remember correctly it was Nat that let the open bag tumble to the floor." Defended Thor as he smiled along with the rest of his friends.

"What about the time when you all decided to film yourselves spalling me in the face with whipped cream?" added Clint.

"Or the time Steve and Thor had that pool noodle battle in the training room?" snickered Bruce as he remembered the chaos of that fight.

"Or when Thor tried to out drink Nat and fail spectacularly." Laughed Steve.

"It feels like another lifetime ago sometimes." Sighed Tony, and everyone agreed. Back then, everything seemed so much simpler. The team was new, the world wasn't trying to implode. There were no evil exes and powers brought on by an Infinity Stone. It was just six heroes and a baby living together as one big goofy family in a tower in New York.

Things may have changed a whole bunch in the last 17 years, but one thing was for sure. The Avengers would always be a family first and foremost and they would always have each other's backs, no matter what.

* * *

Hello, my people and welcome to the end of the chapter. I feel the need to start off with a couple of fun facts about this chapter. Well, more some fun facts about Annie's choice in dance style. You see, when I was growing up I used to be a competitive dancer. I have a few pics up on my Instagram. (nova_in_space) The two styles I just so happened to excel in here tap and ballet. I did other styles though, but I got come sweet awards with those styles. Also, another fun reason to pick those styles happens to come from two specific MCU actors. Chris Evans has a tap background while RDJ happens to have a bit of a ballet background. Seeing as how Annie is Steve and Tony's daughter, it just seemed right. Also, the songs Annie danced to were "Bossanova Baby" by Elvis Presley and "August" by Olafur Arnalds.

Also, MY BABIES ARE GROWING UP! I remember when I still hadn't chosen Carter's name and now I'm having him go off to MIT. I can't believe that was a year ago. And, to add to this, there are only two main chapters left! Holy shmoly! Well, I'll be leaving to have a break down over that. See you next chapter -Shadows


	39. The end of an era

Hello peeps! It's time for a new chapter. It's some bittersweet fluff but it's a good one. I'll see you at the end!

* * *

Time continued to pass and some changes happened to the Avengers. Bruce finally stepped down. He was sick of fighting and preferred to do all the science stuff behind the scenes. He now had complete control of the Hulk so nobody was really worried. Natasha was gearing up to step down. The world was doing fine but she still wanted to supervise the new kids. Carter, Cassie, and Lila had joined the Avengers full time as well as a few of the Asgardians to form the New Avengers. Carter was excited to finally take up the mantle of Iron Shield and he was more than proud of how his outfit had turned out. Cassie had taken over as Ant-Woman once Scott had stepped back from full-time work. Lila had trained with Natasha and Clint in both archery and using the widow bites. She soon became Black Hawk or just Hawk for short.

Carter had really grown up over the years. He honestly looked like a little clone of Tony. Same height, same hair, same eyes. If anyone were to put Carter next to a picture of Tony when he was in his early 20's they would look indistinguishable. It kind of freaked Tony out a little.

Now that there was a new generation of heroes to protect the planet, Steve was able to take a look at everything and realize how tired he was. He was going on 114 years old and had the body of a 47-year-old. He'd been working as a hero for almost all of his adult life and he needed a break.

"Tony darlin', can I talk to you?" asked Steve once evening just as the duo were getting ready for bed.

"What's on your mind?" spoke Tony with an air of concern. Steve had seemed so exhausted lately and Tony was worried. Steve ended up plopping down on the bed next to Tony and curling up to his husband's side.

"I think it's time to step down from being Captain America. I'm just so tired and it's not like there aren't other heroes to keep the world from falling apart. I just want to step back, work on my art, and spend my time with you." Sighed Steve. Tony just pulled him closer and ran a soothing hand through his husband's hair.

"I think that's a good idea, Stevie. You're exhausted, I can tell. You need time to rest and relax. You've done enough for the world. It's time to take it easy." Smiled Tony as he let Steve use his stomach as a pillow.

"Do you think it's the right decision?"

"I think so. You don't make big decisions lightly Steve. Unless of course, you're about to jump off of a high place without a parachute. You'll be ok. Hell, we'll both be ok. If you've taught me anything after all these years it's that things eventually work out."

That night, with the knowledge that he had his husband's support, Steve slept soundly for the first time in a while. He always slept soundly with Tony by his side, but knowing that everything was going to work out, it just made everything better.

A few days later Steve announced to the team what he was stepping down. Everyone supported his decision and they all worked together to work out all the kinks in the transition of power. There what a whole wack of paperwork that Steve had to fill out for the UN in order to step down, but Tony helped him the whole way through.

By the end of the month, Steve was ready to give a press conference on the matter. Carter and Peter were busy that day, so it was just Tony and Annie there for support. Steve hated press conferences, but this was something that needed to be done.

"Good evening everyone. I've called this conference today to talk about some major changes that are happening to the Avengers lineup." The crowd of reporters looked on and waited for an explanation. They knew better than to interrupt Captain America.

"As of right now, I will be stepping down as leader of the Avengers and as Captain America. This has been a long time coming and it was truly an honour to serve and protect the citizens of Earth. I would like to thank everyone for their continued support over the years." The crowd made to speak but Steve politely stopped them. "As for new leadership, Thor will be taking over as the main ground team leader for the foreseeable future. He will be holding a conference later to address his view on the change. In the meantime, just know that the Earth is in safe hands. Thank you."

It didn't take very long for Steve to be bombarded with questions. He handled them like a champ and with a smile, but by the end, Steve was absolutely exhausted and was more than happy to curl up with his husband and daughter to watch a Disney movie in the living room.

After Annie left to go finish a science project Steve ended up curled around Tony like some beefy octopus as they had FRIDAY change the movie to something else. They ended up watching Harry Potter and talking for a while. Midway through Steve was hit with an idea and Tony was more than alright with helping him execute it. As the sun began to set, Steve just knew that this was one of his better ideas.

When Carter got home from work that night, Steve was waiting there in the living room for him with a large wrapped gift.

"What's with the gift wrap Pops? It's not anyone's birthday is it?" questioned Carter as he walked closer to where Steve was sitting.

"I have a little surprise for you Jellybean." Smiled Steve. Carter just facepalmed.

"Pops I'm not a little kid anymore. You don't need to call me Jellybean." Huffed the irate man. Steve just smiled even brighter. He knew that deep down that Carter still liked all the silly names he and Tony called him.

"Here Carter, just open it."

Carter ended up reaching out and taking the gift that Steve had for him. Once it was in his hands, it actually felt really familiar. The weight was something he'd held many times before in his childhood. And now that he was really looking, Carter realized that the gift was shaped like a giant Frisbee. All at once it clicked for Carter and he tore the wrapping paper open with vigour.

The gift Steve had given Carter was his shield.

"Is this really happening?" whispered Carter as he stared at the shield in awe. Steve just chuckled.

"It's all yours Carter."

"But what about Peter and Annie?" asked Carter. He was always looking out for his siblings.

"Peter is already a well-established hero and Annie wasn't to continue on with her dancing. I'd rather you continue to use the shield to protect those who cannot protect themselves than have it sit in a museum somewhere. Help continue the legacy, Carter."

Carter ended up shedding a few tears. Manly tears but still tears. Steve just hugged his son and let him ramble on about how this was such an honour. This may have been the end of Captain America, but the future of heroes would continue on. Both Tony and Steve both made sure of that.

* * *

Well, it looks like the Avengers as we knew them are no more. We all knew that they would all retire eventually. But, they all deserve a rest. It's time the world repaid them for all their work. Also, this chapter is a bit more bittersweet for me. There's only one more main chapter after this one. There will be a wrap-up chapter after the next one, but that ones all written. So I only have one more chapter left to write. I'll probably cry when it's all over. Well, enough rambling, I'll see you next chapter -Shadows.


	40. More Than He Seems

Well, guys, this is the last main chapter of this fic. Not gonna lie, I cried while writing this chapter. I can't believe this is it. It's been over a year in the making and I hope you enjoy it. See you all at the end.

Italics are flashbacks.

* * *

Tony and Steve were relaxing outside on a big blanket while the younger heroes and their kids ran around. It was Tony's 66th birthday, but thanks to the Time Stone he didn't look a day over 45. Retirement was treating him and Steve well. They still lived at the compound to help out with the next generation but being able to relax all the time was a big plus. Tony had stepped down from his position at Stark Industries and had let Carter and Peter take over. They both had big plans for the company that they were excited about. Annie had followed her heart and was taking the dance world by storm. She was back visiting for a bit before going off to tour with some big dance company. Pepper was about to step down as CEO and Peter's wife MJ was ready to take her spot.

All of the older Avengers had stepped down from fighting. They were just too old to continue on. Thor and Loki were the only ones left. It was just the new blood now. Still, they were all family and were there to support each other.

As he and Steve laid down together in the sun, Tony couldn't help but think back on everything that had happened in his life. It wasn't boring that was for sure. Tony thought back to his childhood. There had been a whole lot of really shitty and horrible moments, but there was some good in there. Like Tony's earliest memory.

" _Well look at you, my Little Ducky! So smart already!" cooed Peggy Carter as she held a two-year-old Tony on her hip._

Tony remembered that moment like it was yesterday. Tony had been learning how to write and he'd written "I love you" on a paper heart and given it to Peggy for her birthday.

MIT was a happy time for Tony. He found his brother there.

" _Hi, my name's James Rhodes. I guess we're living together. What's your name?" His new roommate thrust his hand forward._

" _Anthony Stark, but you can call me Tony." Tony smiled at James. Maybe this living away from home was going to be the best decision he'd ever made._

He'd also met Mama Rhodes during that time, god rest her soul.

" _Tony this is my Mama. If she tries to feed you just let her. She likes feeding people." Whispered Rhodey as he introduced Tony to his mother. Mama Rhodes just smiled and took Tony under her wing._

So, MIT was a good time. A very stressful time, but still a good time. But, the stress of MIT was nothing compared to when he took over Stark Industries for the first time when he turned 21. It didn't take him long to realize that he needed some help. And that was when Pepper and Happy had entered into his crazy life.

" _Mr. Stark, My name is Virginia Potts. I'm here about your PA position." Said the tall redhead that had entered his office. She definitely had a fiery personality that was for sure._

" _Why am I even your driver? You never let me drive the damn car!" Complained Happy as one again Tony had him sit in the passengers' seat. Tony just shrugged and started the expensive sports car._

Tony didn't know what he would have done without those two in the first few years of being CEO. Well, he probably would have fallen further down to Hell through Obadiah's conditioning. It took Tony a while after to realize that Obadiah was grooming him for his needs from a young age. It still left him feeling a bit violated to this day.

The only good thing to come out of Obadiah and the kidnapping was Iron Man. That was really the turning point in his life. It gave him an out. It gave him a reason to try harder and to get better. It also gave him more ways to fuck around with the press. Like with his now infamous press conference and the time he got to yell at some senators.

" _The truth is… I am Iron Man." The press went wild and Tony made his exit. Maybe he could do this whole superhero thing._

" _Well, you can forget it. I am Iron Man. The suit and I are one. To turn over the Iron Man suit would be to turn over myself, which is tantamount to indentured servitude or prostitution, depending on what state you're in. You can't have it." Taunted Tony as he stared down Senator Stern. If his suits got in the wrong hands there would be trouble. Tony would never let that happen. If it ever did it would be over his dead body._

To this day Tony still loved messing with the press. His husband and Pepper hated when he did, but it was just so much fun. Even Carter and Peter did it. If you're going to be hounded by the press why not have some fun with it!

Although, after becoming Iron Man, Tony got a really good lesson about responsibility and accountability. It mellowed him out. With Obadiah gone he took the time to really look at himself and make decisions that would actually benefit him and his health. And then there were some decisions that sounded absolutely crazy at the time.

Tony still remembered the day when Pepper had said she would help him have a baby. After she left that night he had cried. He still couldn't believe that she had agreed, but he couldn't have been more thankful for the precious boy that she gave him.

" _Tony, it takes two to tango. When you're ready and you need the female gametes, just call me."_

" _Are you serious?" (Chapter 1)_

If that was life-changing, then meeting the team for the first time boosted that up to 1000! He still remembered when Agent Coulson broke into his tower and gave him the dossier on the Avengers. After being told that he wasn't fit to be a team member, he was honestly surprised. But, being called in changed his life for the better. First of all, that was the first time he'd met Steve. Sure, they were at each other's throats because of the Mind Stone and trauma, but they worked out in the end. It was something they were still teased about.

Speaking of teasing, Loki still teased Tony about the time he threw Tony out of that damn window.

" _You're missing the point. There's no throne, there is no version of this, where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you. Because if we can't protect the Earth, you can be damned well sure we'll avenge it."_

" _How will your friends have time for me, when they're so busy fighting you?" Loki raised his sceptre to Tony's chest. No this was bad! Tony really didn't need someone messing with his mind. Enough people had done that in the past. But, when Loki touched the end of his sceptre to his Arc Reactor… nothing happened. Tony let out a small breath of relief_

" _This should work!?"_

" _Well, performance issues. You know? One in five…" Loki picked him up by the throat. Tony yelled at JARVIS to send his suit as he was tossed out the window. (Chapter 2)_

He should have known better than to insult Loki's performance in the bedroom. But to be fair, he was having a really bad day.

But, the days got better. Sure he was suffering from nightmares and panic attacks, but he had the birth of his son to look forward too. He still remembered the day Carter was born. Tony had panicked after being woken up so early by JARVIS. But, the first time Tony had held Carter in his arms, everything was worth it. He remembered crying the first time he spoke to his baby and how much love he felt in his heart.

" _Hi, there little one! I'm your Dad!" (Chapter 3)_

Soon after, Steve came back so that he could learn more about the future. He remembered how shy Steve actually was when they started living in the tower together. But there were some fun moments. Introducing Steve to pop culture and modern science and music was a treat. Also, Steve was so good with Carter. It gave Tony a chance to actually sleep. Although, nothing could really compare to when Tony got to explain how LGBT rights had progressed in the years he'd been frozen.

" _So, you're saying that it's alright to be Gay?"_

" _Yes. And for full transparency, I'm Bisexual. If you've got a problem with that keep it to yourself."_

" _What's bisexual mean?"_

" _It means I like guys and girls."_

" _So that's the word for it." (Chapter 4)_

That was when Steve became a constant in his life. They bonded and became good friends. Good enough friends that Steve trusted him when SHIELD fell to run intel. Good enough friends that when Steve wound up in the hospital after being thrown off of a hellicarrier, Tony was right there with Carter for some baby therapy.

" _Tony! He smiled at me!"_

" _Yeah," snickered Tony, "he started doing that the other day. I guess he must recognize your voice." (Chapter 5)_

Of course, only a few days after that Steve had told Tony that the Winter Soldier had killed his mom. It was rough at the time, but Tony was glad Steve had told him. It saved them a lot of grief when Zemo decided he wanted to try and take down the Avengers. Of course, this was also when Steve had found out about the abuse Tony had suffered through as a child. That stuff still wasn't easy for Tony to talk about. Good thing he had a good therapist.

Although, a few weeks after that, Tony had gotten some of the best news he'd ever received in his life.

" _Dear Dr. Anthony Edward Stark: It is with great pleasure for those of us at the Nobel Committee to inform you that you have been nominated for the… Nobel Prize in CHEMISTRY for your discovery and work with Yinsinium and its uses in green energy! HOLY COW TONY!" (Chapter 6)_

Of course, being nominated just wasn't enough and Tony had to go and win the whole thing. Tony still smiled when he thought about it. His speech still brought a tear to his eye.

" _First, before I even say anything about my element there are a few people I'd like to thank. I'd like to thank Peggy Carter, Edwin Jarvis, Ana Jarvis, and my mother Maria Stark, for always believing in me and encouraging me to continue learning. My friend Colonel James Rhodes, for being my brother and my most trusted lab partner. And my friends, the Avengers, who are no doubt watching this all back home and are losing their minds. Thor, please don't break anything!" A light laughter passed through the room "This element was discovered by accident and by necessity. This whole journey started in a cave in Afghanistan. I'm sure many of you know, that back in 2009, I was kidnapped by The Ten Rings in order to make them weapons. I was held in a cave for three months. I wasn't alone. With me, was a doctor named Ho Yinsen. He saved my life and helped me make the first working miniaturized arc reactor out of a box of scraps. He saved me again when I built the first Iron Man suit. I tried to save us both, but he sacrificed his life to get me out. He told me "Don't waste your life". So, I got out and got to work. You see, the original reactor used Palladium as its core. Palladium and the human body don't mix very well and soon I was dealing with heavy metal poisoning. Not fun. I knew I had to get creative and after several months and the arguable loss of my sanity, I had built a very crude, make-shift particle accelerator in the lab in my basement. From there, Yinsinium was born, named after the man who continued to save my life. From there, a larger version of the arc reactor was built and it completely powers Avengers Tower with green energy. It can never be 100% green energy because the metals used to make it had to be mined, but it's a start. One thing I've learned from all this is, mistakes happen. I've messed up countless times but I'm still standing. If there's any sort of inspiring message I could give, especially to all the kids out there just starting to learn science, it's to never give up. You will make mistakes, and with those mistakes, you will learn new things. You can do whatever you set your mind too if you just apply yourself and ask questions. Never stop asking questions. That's how we as humans, will continue to move forward. Everyone out there has the potential to be great. And it is our responsibility to protect the younger generations. To help them learn, and to help them create, even if they're trapped in a cave with a box of scraps. Thank you." (A Nobel Accomplishment)_

That certainly was a special day. Even more special was Carter's first Christmas and the first Christmas where the Avengers were a team. If Tony remembered correctly, Carter was more interested in the wrapping paper and boxes than in all the toys he'd gotten. Another thing Tony remembered was the present that Steve had gotten him. They weren't dating at that point, but the present was so thoughtful and personal that they might as well have been.

 _In Tony's hands was a black photo album with a silver A on the front. It was the new Avengers logo. Other than that, the cover was plain. Once Tony opened the album, his eyes lit up and there was a smile on his face. Inside were pictures of the team, mostly candid shots done by JARVIS with a few newsprints in there for good measure. There were some pictures of them at the beach in LA. There were pictures from Thanksgiving and movie nights. There were pictures of each of the Avengers with Carter. There were pages and pages of pictures of Tony and Carter. There was one of the two in the living room during "tummy time". Tony had this huge smile on his face as he lay down on the ground next to his son. There was one of Tony holding a sleeping Carter in his arms while he talked to the team in the kitchen. Steve even made sure to have some of the pictures from Carter's birth. When Tony finished flipping through the album, he stood up and gave Steve a hug. (Chapter 7)_

From there, Tony, Steve and the rest of the team became more and more like a family. They had team bonding nights that ranged from movie night to playing different board and video games. They learned a lot about each other, such as a really funny habit that Steve had.

" _Why do you do that?" asked Tony_

" _Do what?" giggled Steve_

" _Every time you find something really funny you grab your boob."_

" _What?" (Chapter 8)_

They also celebrated the first anniversary of the Battle of New York. Well, everyone else celebrated. Tony had a minor breakdown. He didn't like being reminded of almost dying in the wormhole. Thank fuck that Steve came to his rescue.

" _Wanna play hooky and ditch this place?" Tony raised his eyebrows in surprise. Did Steve just suggest they ditch the gala? (Chapter 8)_

Years later Tony had realized that Steve had been flirting with him that night. Actually, Steve had flirted with him a fair bit but Tony was too dense to notice. Tony had also celebrated his first birthday as a Dad. That was a special one. But, in true Tony Stark fashion, he had forgotten that it was his birthday.

" _Happy Birthday Tony!" His friends shouted. The whole team was there along with, Pepper, Rhodey, even Jane and Darcey, who Tony had met a few times. Tony stood there blinking for a few seconds before…_

" _Is it my birthday?" Natasha just started to laugh._

" _Alright Barton, you owe me 20 bucks!" (Chapter 8)_

Having his friend there to celebrate made it so much more special. But the icing on the cake was when Carter had decided to say his first word.

" _DADA!" giggled Carter as he patted his father's face. Tony stood there wide-eyed for a moment before cheering and spinning his son around. Everyone else in the room looked just as surprised. Of course, Carter would be just as dramatic as his father and say his first word in this kind of situation. (Chapter 8)_

Tony was pulled from his thoughts when a screech of laughter resonated through the yard. Tony smiled as he looked up at his grandkids. Sometimes he couldn't believe that he had grandkids. That was something young him never thought he'd have. Tony smiled as he saw Peter's kids, Ben, Millie, and Samantha ran past with water guns. They were triplets and the most trouble attracting kids Tony had ever met. Tailing behind then was Carter's son, Edwin. He was a shy boy but he loved hanging out with his grandparents. Carter had married this nice girl named Doreen Green that he met at MIT. Tony liked her. She was funny.

One thing Tony didn't like about his kids growing up and having their own kids was the fact that his kids were all grown up. Well, more the fact that Ana-Maria was grown up. You see, Loki, that suave motherfucker, had moved on from flirting with Tony to flirting with Annie. Now, Annie was a grown woman and could make her own decisions but that didn't mean that Tony had to like them.

In some weird way, seeing Loki flirt with Annie reminded Tony of when he and Steve finally got together. Steve had been flirting with Tony for months and Tony hadn't noticed. Well, not until the whole thing with Killian and the Mandarin. That was just a few really bad days. Tony was glad those were over. But, when Steve kissed him behind a building after Tony had almost died, well, that was the moment where everything fell into place.

" _I love you. Don't you ever try to die on me again you ass."_

" _You love me?" (Chapter 9)_

Tony still thought back fondly to that moment. And the night after that frenzied afternoon was just the icing on the cake. Despite Steve being the virgin in the bedroom, Tony had been the self-conscious one. He couldn't understand how Steve could love a broken man like him. But, in true Steve fashion, he was determined to prove Tony wrong.

" _I've seen it. I don't care." Whispered Steve_

" _It's ugly. How can you not care?" Tony touched his forehead to Steve's, closing his eyes._

" _Because it's you. Because you're you, and because you're beautiful." Steve ran one hand down Tony's spine under his shirt. The other ran over Tony's hair and behind his ear to cup his jaw. "Nothing about you I can ever find ugly. Even when you're sad, or angry, or scared. You will always be beautiful to me." (Stronger with You NSFW)_

Falling into a relationship with Steve was easy. He was amazing with Carter, he was amazing in bed, Steve was just amazing. It certainly helped that both of them loved to cuddle. It was the general public that sucked. The knowledge that Tony was bisexual was not new, but the bigots out there liked to use that against Tony. Tony had stopped caring long ago but seeing all the hateful things got to Steve. That was when Tony hatched a plan. And to him, it was a great plan.

" _We should kiss and put it on the internet."_

" _I'm sorry. WHAT?" asked Steve as he looked up from his sketchbook._

" _We should kiss and post it on Twitter. Fight all the hate with love and all that."_

" _Are you sure that's a good idea?" (The Avengers need better PR than this, chapter 2)_

Of course, doing that lead to the biggest "are they, aren't they" debate the internet had ever seen. Plus it gave the haters more fuel. So, just to make things stop, Tony and Steve made a coming out video.

" _Hey guys, this is Steve Rogers."_

" _And Tony Stark."_

" _And this is our coming out video." They said that last part together. (The Avengers need better PR than this, chapter 6)_

The added bonus of coming out was that it allowed them to go out on dates without having to be super sneaky. Dates were nice, sometimes a date for them was just bringing Carter out to the park and having a picnic. Tony loved how Steve and Carter got closer, even if Carter was a little trouble magnet.

" _Carter! How did you get up there, baby boy?" questioned Tony as he looked at his son sitting on top of the refrigerator. Carter just giggled._

" _Dada! I up!"_

" _Yes, I can see that. Now it's time to get down." (Chapter 10)_

Tony trusted Steve with Carter. It was nice having someone to trust. So, Tony trusted Steve with his biggest secret. When Tony first told Steve about the whole ordeal with Tiberius Stone when he was 15, he thought that Steve wouldn't want him anymore. Tony was very quickly proven wrong. Steve loved him even more fiercely and was ready to fight anyone who hurt Tony and his son. It was nice having someone who cared.

Not too long after that, their relationship was cemented further. Carter, completely of his own volition, decided that Steve was his Papa. It made both of them happy. Around the same time, Steve also gave Tony his dog tags. Tony was so painfully shy when Steve gave them to him, but Steve was right there with reassurances.

" _I know what's going through your head darlin'," cooed Steve, "and I know what you want to say but I won't let you. I love you, Tony. You put your heart and soul into everything you do. This is my way of giving some of my soul to you. Now you'll always have me with you, even when you're on those annoying business trips Pepper makes you take." Steve smiled, and Tony gave a bashful smile back. (Chapter 11)_

And from that day forward, Tony never took the dog tags off. It was nice to have people around who loved him. Tony sometimes couldn't believe it. That he had a boyfriend and a son. Carter had been growing up into a curious young boy. Tony still remembered how he felt on Carter's second birthday.

 _Carter ended up falling asleep on the floor cuddling his new Triceratops stuffy sent to him by Uncle Rhodey. Tony just smiled, snapped a picture, and carried his son up to bed. As Carter slept, Tony took a moment to reflect. Yes, Carter may be growing up, but he would always be his baby boy. (Chapter 12)_

That was one of the happier moments that month. Tony remembered having to tell the team about Stone and MIT after a game of truth or dare gone wrong. Well, Tony had Steve tell the team because he was having a breakdown. Luckily the team was supportive and Tony felt safe with them. That just made Tony trust his team even more. He had enough trust in them that he let Thor babysit one night so that he and Steve could go out on a date.

" _Remember Thor, Carter needs to be in bed by 7:30, 8:00 at the latest. Make sure to read him a story and that he has on a pair of footy pyjamas. He likes those ones best at night." Rambled Tony as he and Steve prepared to leave the tower for their night on the town._

" _Tony darlin', they'll be fine." Said, Steve, as he wrapped his arm around Tony's hip._

" _I know, but he's my baby. Cut a dad some slack." (Chapter 13)_

Carter may have broken his arm that night, but at least Thor tried.

Not too long after that was when more tragedy struck. Tony still didn't like to think of it. Ultron was one of the worst things to ever happen. Tony still felt responsible despite the fact that it wasn't his fault. It still really messed him up.

But that whole experience wasn't all that bad. The party where they all tried to lift Thor's hammer was certainly memorable.

" _Uncle Thor, can I twy?" asked Carter in his cute little voice. Thor just smiled._

" _Of course, my fiercest warrior."_

 _So, Tony picked up Carter and made sure he had a good grip. He kneeled down on the floor so that Carter could reach. Carter wrapped his left hand around the handle of the hammer. It didn't even come close to wrapping all the way around. It was so cute._

" _Alright Bambino, on the count of three. 1. 2. 3." And on three Carter pulled with all his might._

 _And picked up the hammer._

 _The room fell silent. Carter just looked so proud of himself. Thor rushed over and picked him up Lion King style._

" _He is worthy!" he shouted, and Carter giggled. (Chapter 14)_

After the whole Ultron fiasco, the Avengers had moved to the compound. Tony loved the compound. They had more space, the kids had room to run around outside without the press annoying them. It was great. And the holidays that year were even better. Carter had been old enough to understand Hanukkah and to participate with his Dad, and Christmas was full of family, both new and old.

 _When it was Steve's turn to open his present from Tony, he was handed a small box. Steve excitedly opened it. Inside was a gold chain necklace with a misshapen hunk of steel on the end. He was a tad bit confused until Tony explained it to him._

" _That there is a piece of the very first Iron Man armour. The very same armour that saved me in Afghanistan. It's a piece of me and I wanted you to have it." Steve smiled the biggest smile he ever had given and pulled his boyfriend into a crushing hug. (Chapter 15)_

Then, once again, their life was turned upside down. Ross tried to take down the Avengers. Bucky was found and joined them. Scott also joined the team and Tony met Peter for the first time. Despite the horrid situation, there were some truly light-hearted moments.

" _Wait wait wait." Interrupted Bucky as he caught everybody's attention. "Are you two dating? I thought you were co-leaders? When did this happen? Steve, why didn't you tell me?"_

" _Have you been living under a rock man? Sassed Sam as the others laughed. Steve and Tony just blushed._

" _Bucky, I've been dating Tony for two and a half years now. It's public information." Blushed Steve. Bucky just stared. How the hell did the hopeless romantic that was Steven Grant Roger manage to date someone like Tony Stark?_

" _How?" whispered Bucky._

" _What do you mean how?" asked Natasha who was standing nearby._

" _Steve was hopeless with all this romantic stuff. How did he manage… this?" Bucky moved his arms in the couples general direction._

" _Thanks for the vote of confidence Buck." Snarked Steve. (Chapter 16)_

Unfortunately, the day after that conversation Tony was rushed into surgery with severe injuries after being beaten down by a whole bunch of triggered Winter Soldiers in Siberia. Tony never did find out what had happened during his five-day coma. Steve couldn't talk about it. It still caused him distress.

Thankfully, life got better for a while Tony healed. He was able to make Rhodey some leg braces. Carter followed in his footsteps and made his first circuit board at the age of 4. Tony even got an invite to Wakanda to help with their introduction to the world. Tony had brought along Peter so that he could learn some new things. Boy was that a mistake. Tony still remembered what he and T'Challa had walked in on.

 _Shuri and Peter were fighting each other with what looked like lightsabers._

" _WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING?" shouted Tony as he looked at the two teens._

" _We're fighting with lightsabers!" answered Peter._

" _Are those… actual lightsabers?"_

" _Of course! I made them when I was nine." Smiled Shuri as they continued their fight._

" _YOU'RE FIGHTING WITH ACTUAL LIGHTSABERS!"_

 _The teens went running as Tony and T'Challa began chasing them around the lab. How did this become their life? (Chapter 17)_

That was neither the first nor last time that Peter would give him a heart attack.

Speaking of Peter, after the fight against Ross, he'd been staying at the compound more. He was great with Carter and everyone loved him. Even before Tony and Steve had adopted him, they treated him like part of the family. Tony still smiled when he thought back to trying to teach Peter how to shave.

" _Hey kid, what's up?"_

" _Well, I uh… I managed to ask my crush out to Home Coming on Friday and she said yes!" said Peter._

" _That's great Pete! So, I take it you need my help with something." Peter nodded._

" _Well, May's been teaching me all the dancing and etiquette stuff, but she can't really teach me the man stuff you know?" Tony nodded, and Peter blushed a bit._

" _I was wondering if you could teach me how to shave. I want to look nice for her. Not like some scrappy teen." Mumbled Peter embarrassingly. Tony took it all in stride._

" _Alright kid. Let's get you looking all fresh for your date." Peter smiled and let Tony lead him to their wing of the compound._

 _The next half hour was spent teaching Peter the intricacies of shaving. Tony did not shy away from using his own face for demonstration purposes. In the end, both were completely clean-shaven, and they used that fact to creep out the rest of the Avengers. Peter and Tony just laughed. The best part was when Steve came back from the gym and saw his boyfriend without any facial hair for the first time. Tony had to bid Peter farewell and good luck on his date as Steve dragged him back to their room. (Chapter 18)_

If his memory served him correctly, he and Steve had had some pretty darn amazing sex right after that. Who knew that Steve could get so possessive and kinky.

Not long after that, Peter had officially joined their family. It was sad how it came to be, but Tony had promised May that he would take care of Peter so that's what he did. It wasn't long after that that there was the election. Tony was still happy over the outcome of that one. He'd spent enough time fighting bad people. He didn't need one in a position of power.

 _One afternoon, while kids were at school or otherwise occupied, the team got together with a few others like Hank Pym and Hope Van Dyne, to make the worlds most glorious anti-Trump PSA. Each member gave a short speech with such lines such as; "He's proven himself to be racist. If America is a melting pot of cultures why would we even elect him?" and "Trump obviously thinks that sexual assault is ok. That just makes him a garbage human." It ended with a big FUCK YOU TRUMP written in rainbow colours. If that didn't get their message across, then nothing could. (Chapter 19)_

But, because Tony just couldn't catch a break and the universe hated him, his life decided that it wanted to bring back a monster from his past. That afternoon had started off so innocently. If only he'd known how it would end.

 _Lunch was calm. Everyone tucked in to eat their food and Carter was super excited when Tony told him that they were going. Seeing Carter smile just lit up Tony's world. He would never regret becoming a father. Both of his sons were just the sweetest. Carter was always smiling and giggling. Always wanting to learn and improve things. He was just like Tony when he was little. The only difference between father and son was that Tony loved Carter so fiercely. He would do anything to protect his children. Tony was nothing like Howard. (Chapter 20)_

The next few days were by far the worst couple of days in his life, and he'd fought aliens in FUCKING SPACE! Tony hated to think back on what had happened. His youngest had been hurt and experimented on. Tony had been in pain, both physical and mental, for weeks after the incident. It was just horrible. But, being able to see his kids after all of that. To see them alive and back home where they belonged. It was the most relieved Tony had ever felt.

" _Can I see my kids?" rasped out Tony. After everything he just went through, all he wanted to do was see his kids. Steve turned to the nurse in the room and she gave a nod._

 _Steve poked his nose out the door and motioned for Peter and Carter to come in. As soon as Tony saw them, both kids went running. Tony pulled both of them onto the bed and hugged them close._

" _My babies. My babies." Sobbed Tony. He was crying and rocking both kids as he held them close. Tony's voice was all shaky and rough and it hurt to talk, but Tony was just glad that he had his kids. They stayed like that for a long time. After a few moments, Peter came to realize a few things. First of all, Tony had referred to Peter as his baby. Even though Peter wasn't his biologically, he was 100% family. Secondly, this was the first time Peter had ever seen Tony cry. Peter just hugged his dad harder and didn't let go for a long time. Eventually, everyone fell asleep. The nurse relented and let the family stay together in the bed with Steve keeping watch. (Chapter 21)_

Lucky for Tony, he was pulled from his thoughts once again before he could dwell on the memory of his assault. This time it was because Carter and Cassie Lang had decided to bust out their suits and have a fight. Tony watched on for a while and smiled when he saw Bruce and Rhodey refereeing the match out of the corner of his eye. Sometimes Tony could hardly believe that Carter was a hero in his own right. He still remembered the day that Carter had discovered his powers, proclaimed himself a superhero, and had drawn up his own logo.

" _What's that you've got there Jellybean?" asked Steve as Carter climbed onto the couch between his parents._

" _My superhero symbol." Smiled Carter as he held the piece of paper out for his parents to see._

 _The drawing was a large circle with alternating blue and gold lines. Across the center on a diagonal was a thick red line that crossed over the other colours. Right at the center in black, was a crudely drawn alchemic symbol for iron. It definitely looked like a child drew it, but Tony and Steve could tell right away what it looked like._

" _This is really good Bambino." Praised Tony. "Did you model it after your Papa's shield?" Carter nodded and smiled up at his parents._

" _I did Daddy! You wanna know my new superhero name?" rambled Carter. Tony and Steve nodded and smiled at their youngest child._

" _It's "The Amazing Iron-Shield!" I took bits from both Iron Man and Captain America because you's are both so cool and I want to be cool too!" (Chapter 22)_

They got lucky after that. Nothing bad happened for almost a year. And in that time, things became absolutely amazing for Tony. It was all thanks to Steve. He was the one to see through Tony's masks and fall in love with the painfully insecure man beneath them. Tony and Steve were so deeply in love that nothing could have torn them apart. They were so in love that Steve knew exactly how to show his devotion to the man who was his home.

" _Tony Stark I will always love you. I love everything about you. I love you smile, your laugh, all your stupid jokes. I love you no matter what mask you're wearing for the media. I love you, problems and all." Proclaimed Steve. Tony just blushed and looked at their joined hands. That was when Steve dropped down to one knee and brought out the dark red velvet box and Tony's heart stopped._

" _I love you some much and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. So, Anthony Edward Stark, will you marry me?" asked Steve as he opened the box. Inside was a simple looking ring, silver in colour. But it wasn't made from silver. No, it was made of vibranium taken from Steve's shield. (Chapter 23)_

The engagement ring still hung softly from the dog-tag chain around Ton's neck. He wasn't ever letting go of it. They started wedding planning with Pepper's help almost right away. Honestly, Pepper was more into it then they were. Tony and Steve had just wanted to get married right away. Pepper was the one to turn it into a party.

That same year, right before the wedding, Carter had had his first day of school. Ever Tony's son, Carter had skipped a few grades but was still excited to start school and to meet new friends.

" _Alright Carter, Bambino, are you all ready for school?" Carter gave an enthusiastic nod._

" _Alright kiddo. Make sure you listen to your teacher and learn all sorts of new things ok. And no superpowers. Alright. Other kids might not understand them, so we need to keep them a secret for now ok." Carter nodded and lent in so that his Dad could give him a hug._

 _Tony hugged his son tight and tried not to get emotional. It seemed like just yesterday that Carter was snuggling up on his chest after he gave him a bottle. Or laughing hysterically as Tony ripped pieces of paper. He remembered Carter's first word, dada, which he said on Tony's 39_ _th_ _birthday. He remembered when Carter first called Steve Papa, and when he lifted Thor's hammer. Tony was used to always having Carter around and with him, and now he was going to start his first day of school. The bell rang, and Tony was forced to let his son go. After one last little hug Carter went running off towards the doors, but not before Tony got one more word of advice in._

" _Carter please try to make some friends." He shouted as his son waved back at him and ran off. Tony was lucky he wasn't the only emotional parent there so the single tear in his eye went unnoticed. Tony's little baby wasn't a little baby anymore. He was a big kid now and Tony couldn't be prouder. (Chapter 24)_

Carter had grown up so much since then. He now had a few doctorates and, with the help of his bother, had revolutionized the biomechanical medical field. Tony was so damn proud of what his kids had achieved.

Not long after Carter had his first day of school. Over 20 years had passed since one of the best days of Tony's life, and he had zero regrets about it. Being married to Steve was one of the best decisions he'd ever made.

" _By the power vested in me by the State of New York, I now pronounce you Husband and Husband. You may now kiss!" announced Sam._

 _The room applauded and there were a few catcalls as Tony grabbed Steve's lapels and Steve's hands found their way to Tony back as they sealed their marriage with a kiss. It was single-handedly the best kiss that they had ever shared. It was both sweet and tender and full of passion. They poured every ounce of love they could into the kiss. It was perfect._

" _You still taste like coconut and metal." Smiled Steve once they pulled apart. There were still tears in both their eyes and goofy smiles on both their faces. Steve rested his forehead on Tony's and gave him another peck on the lips. (Chapter 25)_

Their whole wedding was absolutely perfect. They both cried when they said their vows. They both cringed when Bucky and Rhodey had given their best man speeches. They both fell deeper in love when they had their first dance as a married couple.

And once they left for their honeymoon and Tony busted out his special surprise for Steve, well, the night just got even better,

 _"I love you so much." Mumbled Tony as he closed his eyes._

 _"I love you forever and always." Whispered Steve as he kissed the top of Tony's head._

 _"I'm so glad we got married. Who knew married sex was so good. We should have done this sooner." Yawned Tony. Steve just smiled and cuddled him close. (25-2)_

Being married hadn't really changed anything around the compound. If anything, Tony and Steve just became even more smoopy and lovesick. Still, that didn't stop Tony from goofing off and causing explosions with the others.

" _God Tony, you're an idiot." Huffed Steve as he ran a hand down his face._

" _Yes, but I'm your idiot," Tony waved his wedding ring in front of Steve's face. "forever!" (chapter 26)_

Unfortunately, things hadn't stayed calm for long. By the time winter rolled around, Tony was plagued with visions that left him getting sicker and sicker. He lost weight, couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, he landed himself in medical after accidentally slicing his arm up trying to reach his pain meds. He almost cried with relief when they found out what was wrong with him.

" _Can you tell us what happened?" Asked Sam_

 _So Tony started talking. It was quiet and reserved with Tony having to take a few breaks to calm down, but eventually, he was able to explain to the other Avengers what had been happening._

" _When Tony opened his eyes after the nightmare they were glowing yellow. That's not normal." Cautioned Steve. Everyone in the room froze._

" _My eye's glow a bit red when I use my powers. Maybe this is something similar?" piped in Wanda. All eyes turned to her._

" _You said they were yellow. Was it like the Mind Stone at all?" asked Vision as he made to move closer. Steve pondered for a moment then nodded. The glow was exactly like the Mind Stone._

" _Tony, have you ever been in direct contact with the Mind Stone?" asked Rhodey as he sat closer to Tony and grabbed his brother's hand. Tony sat there for a moment, thinking back to every interaction he'd had with an Infinity Store. Then it hit him. Loki!_

" _The Battle of New York!" All eyes in the room turned to Tony. "During the battle, it was just Loki and me in the penthouse. He tried to control me with the sceptre by touching it to the arc reactor! It didn't work. Soon after the visions started. Well, they weren't this bad or frequent… but they were there! They started picking up and getting worse after that bunker is Sakovia." Realized Tony. This was big. If this was the influence of the Mind Stone it would explain a lot._

" _Ok, so Stark had powers of some sort. Any idea what they do?" asked Scott scuffing his feet on the floor. He was only stopped by Hope smacking him upside the head. (Chapter 27)_

Tony still had visions, but he was able to control them and use them to help out the New Avengers. They did have a use after all.

But, even after finding out what was wrong, things didn't get better. Tony still remembered the exact date Thanos attacked. April 26, 2018, would live on in infamy. Everyone who fought against Thanos still had horrible nightmares about the whole thing. It was often a no-go subject among the survivors. It was just too much. The only good thing to come out of the fight with Thanos was meeting the Guardians of the Galaxy. Even if their meeting was a little weird and on an alien planet.

" _Everybody stay where you are. Chill the Fuck out. I'm gonna ask you this one time. Where's Gamora?" Shouted the man. Tony took off his helmet to rebuttal._

" _Yeah, I'll do you one better. Who's Gamora?"_

" _I'll do you one better! Why is Gamora?" shouted the man beneath Tony's boot. Everyone just facepalmed at that._

" _Tell me where the girl is, or I swear to you, I'm gonna French fry this little freak." Shouted the blaster happy blond man as he held said weapon to Peter's head. Tony began to panic a little._

" _Let's do it! You shoot my guy, I blast him. Let's go!" shouted Tony in an effort to not let his fear show. Tony used his nanotech to make a large electric cannon erupt from his arm and point at the man he had trapped on the ground._

" _Do it, Quill! I can take it." Spoke the man on the floor and everyone shook their head._

" _No he can't take it!" worried the women with the antennae who was still trapped in Peter's webs._

" _She's right. You can't." deadpanned Strange as he looked around the room._

" _Oh yeah? You don't wanna tell me where she is? That's fine. I'll kill all three of you and beat it out of Thanos myself. Starting with you." The man pressed his blaster right up against Peter's head and Tony really started to panic. He couldn't let anything happen to his son._

" _Wait, what, Thanos? All right let me ask you this one time. What master do you serve?" asked Strange as he tried to get a handle on the situation._

" _What master do I serve? What am I supposed to say? "Jesus"?" snarked the man who had been called Quill by the others. And with that, Tony finally had some information to go off of._

" _You're from Earth?" asked Tony as he put away his nano-weapon. (Chapter 28)_

That was certainly one of the more strange meetings he'd ever had with someone and Tony was friends with literal gods and a giant green rage monster. Surprisingly, they did all work well together despite being from different teams and planets. The end of the world has a way of bringing people together. And it was that teamwork that allowed them to ultimately take down Thanos.

" _NOW!"_

 _On his command, Gamora and Nebula took advantage of Thanos being distracted and pounced. Gamora was quick to stab Thanos in the neck while Nebula worked the gauntlet off. Thanos was too distracted by the dagger being pushed further into his neck to do much more than struggle. With Thanos struggling, it made Nebula's job even harder. So, in a last ditch effort to keep Thanos still, Nebula pulled out one of her own knives and stuck it in Thanos' heart. The Titan let out a scream and instantly retaliated and pulled the knife from his chest, stabbing Nebula in the process. But Nebula wasn't done fighting._

 _Using the last of her strength, she managed to get the gauntlet off of Thanos' hand. With her dying breath, Nebula threw the gauntlet as hard as she could in Tony's direction. Everyone waited and held their breath as the gauntlet soared through the air. Gamora continued to push her knife deeper into Thanos' neck to make sure that he stayed down, but even she was nervous. As the gauntlet got closer, Tony launched himself forward with outstretched arms. He caught the gauntlet and instantly slid it onto his left arm. It was almost comically large on him and sat from his mid-bicep down. But Tony didn't care about that. He opened his right hand and allowed the Soul Stone to attach itself to the space open on the gauntlet. Tony gritted his teeth as he felt tremendous energy surge through him. He wanted to scream but didn't allow himself. Once the energy calmed down, Tony took a second to looked at his hand. Right then, right at that moment, Tony was the most powerful being in the universe. And he was going to use that power to protect the ones he loved._

" _My turn." Smirked Tony as he snapped his fingers with the now completed gauntlet._

 _The world went white as energy crackled through the air and Tony was thrown back with the force of it. (Chapter 29)_

Tony was still surprised the whole thing had worked. Although it still felt weird to be one with the Soul Stone. Guess the universe had a sense of humour. Even so, they had had heavy casualties during that fight. Seeing his teammates, his friends, the people he considered family, disfigured and dead around him haunted his nightmares for a very long time. At least Tony had had a chance to say goodbye to them in the Soul Stone. He even got to see his Mama one last time.

" _You've done so much for the universe. It's time that you get something in return. So here you go my Bambino. We're giving you more time." Maria Stark smiled and gave her son one last kiss on the cheek before letting him go. "I love you, my sweet child. Never forget that." (Chapter 30)_

Tony was still insanely grateful for that gift. He still had the body of a 45-year-old and he felt great. Although, the Time Stone didn't help with him losing an arm. It had been a major adjustment getting used to having a metal arm. Tony had eventually gotten used to it, but it had taken a few years and loads of therapy.

It wasn't long after Tony got the arm that they all took off to go dispose of the remaining stones. And that was when Tony and Steve had met their daughter for the first time.

 _There on the ground, next to what seemed to be a freshly dead body, was a tiny infant swaddled in a pink blanket with a note written in an unknown script pinned to the blanket. Tony knelt on the ground to pick up the child to comfort it. Once the child was in his arms, Tony was met with a sudden realization. This moment felt oddly familiar. It was just like one of the visions he'd had. The little baby in his arms had Steve's blonde hair and honey brown eyes like Tony. The only difference between this baby and all the other babies Tony had seen was the fact that this one was a very pale blue. Not a blue like the baby was struggling to breathe. No, the baby was breathing fine, their skin was just that colour. Just like Gamora was born green, this baby was born blue. The baby looked like the child in his vision the night before Thanos attacked._

" _Shhh. Shhh. It's alright baby. You're ok. I've got you." Soothed Tony as he held the baby close and tried to stop the crying. He couldn't do much. The poor thing was probably starving and scared. This was no place for a child. So, Tony stood up with the baby in his arms and walked back to the meeting point they had all agreed on. Tony held the note he'd found with the infant in his metal hand while he cradled the infant in his right. There was no way in hell he trusted the arm yet to hold a child. (Chapter 30)_

From there everyone had to adjust to the hole that was left by their friends deaths. It was a long road but they did have a moment of joy in there.

 _It didn't take long before Thor and Loki were tearing their way outside to greet the vessel. The rest of the Avengers were right behind them. They made it outside right as the ship began to land and the doors opened and Valkyrie, Korg, and 10 Asgardian children all under the age of 15 Earth years made their way off the ship._

 _Thor and Loki were very quickly surrounded by the kids with shouts of "King Thor!" and "Prince Loki!" floating through the air. Thor was scooping the older kids into hugs while Loki held onto the babies for dear life. The rest of the Avengers slowly made their way over to the Asgardians and Korg just in time to hear Valkyrie and Korg's explanation on what had happened. (Chapter 31)_

From there, life finally levelled out for Tony. He had his kids. He had Steve. He had his friends and family. He was… happy. And he'd stayed happy. His kids were growing up and he was so insanely proud of them.

 _After about 45 minutes of constant talking, it was finally time to walk the stage. Peter was more than excited for this part. It would mean that he was finally done high school once and for all. As each student was called up one by one, Peter waited in anticipation._

" _Peter Parker-Stark."_

 _The second Peter's name was called he walked up onto that stage like he owned the place. He was smiling like a loon as his parents and little brother cheered him on. They were so proud of him and Peter couldn't help but smile and wave at them once he got his diploma._

 _After all the students had finished walking the stage, the band began playing and everyone started celebrating. Soon enough, the parents were able to go down and meet their kids. Peter went running up to his family who were all smiles as they met up with him. Carter even made him a special card with a robot on it._

" _Do you think they would be proud?" asked Peter as Tony pulled him into a hug._

" _I know they would. They would be so damn proud of you." Whispered Tony as he held his son close. Peter had lost so much in his life so far, but if it was one he knew, it was that Peter's family would have been proud of him. (Chapter 32)_

After Peter graduated, it was time to have a few celebrations. Carter turned 6 and had an amazing day. And 3 days after that, Steve celebrated his 100th birthday. That was one of the parties to end all parties.

" _HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEVE!" was shouted out by everyone. And when I say everyone, I mean EVERYONE. All the Avengers and Guardians were there. Fury and Hill were there. Pepper and Happy were there as well as Jane, Darcy, and the Asgardians. Everyone that mattered in their world was there._

 _That was when the day really ramped up. It wasn't every day that they had a friend turn 100, so it was cause to celebrate. Everyone spent the outside in the sun playing games and swapping stories. Bucky was the main person telling stories. And not normal stories. No, Bucky took the opportunity to tell embarrassing stories about Steve when he was a kid. They had everyone laughing._

 _Tony and Steve were side by side most of the day. They took turns holding Ana-Maria and trading kisses as they watched the kids ran around and played. Somehow, probably by the promise of good behaviour, Nick Fury was the one helping to man the grill. Most of the food was being catered seeing as they had so many people with giant appetites in present company._

 _When it came time for cake, they had a proper cake and a dummy cake so that Steve could attempt to blow out 100 candles. What Steve didn't know was that Clint and Bucky had replaced the candles with those ones that are next to impossible to blow out. Even Tony couldn't help but laugh as his husband struggled to blow out the candles. (Chapter 32)_

Once again, that night Tony had brought out a special surprise for Steve and Steve only. It was a pretty magical night that left Tony feeling all spacey.

That same year, Tony (as well as the rest of the Avengers and Guardians) was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. They won of course. They had saved the universe from destruction, that kind of warranted an award. Despite the fact that that was Tony's second Nobel Prize, he still had an amazing time and felt so happy when Steve went to go give their speech beside him.

" _Good afternoon," smiled Steve as he began, "I'd like to start off by saying, that on the behalf of both The Avengers and The Guardians of the Galaxy, we a deeply honoured to accept this award. We have all worked tirelessly to protect every single citizen of this planet and we are glad that things worked out the way they did. And, I know that he'll deny how important a role he played was, but we really wouldn't be here without Tony. He was the one to use the Infinity Stones to vanquish Thanos once and for all." Spoke Steve. Tony couldn't help but blush a bit._

" _As much as I'd like to take credit for that. There was so much other stuff at play." Explained Tony. "Everyone else here had to protect me so I could even get the last stone. And both Gamora and her late sister Nebula were the ones to actually get the gauntlet off of Thanos. So, everyone here deserves all the same credit and praise for all the work they did. We all worked as a team. And yes, we lost friends that day. We lost family. But in the end, we won and stopped Thanos from killing half of all life. And I think that's the important part. So, once again, on behalf of all of us, thank you all for believing in us and our ability to protect others. We will all strive to continue to protect those in need and fight for the rights and freedoms of others." (Chapter 33)_

A year after fighting Thanos, Tony stepped down from being Iron Man. Every time he put on the suit he was risking both his mental and physical health. And with young children at home, it was time to step down and let the younger heroes take his place. Everyone agreed, Tony deserved a rest. Now If only somebody had told that to the press.

" _Good afternoon everybody. You're probably all wondering why I called this press conference." Tony took a deep breath to compose himself before he made his announcement to the world._

" _As of today, I will be officially retiring from being Iron Man with the exception of world-ending events."_

 _The crowd of reporters went nuts. It was the same kind of disorder from his now famous "I am Iron Man" speech._

" _Now, before you guys all go crazy with the questions I do have a few things to say. First of all, I am not leaving the Avengers. I will be working from his moment on as an active non-combatant. The Avenger will still continue to work to protect the lives of all citizens of Earth and beyond." (Chapter 34)_

After retiring, Tony found that he had a whole bunch of free time that he hadn't had in a long time. He didn't always know what to do with himself. So, that lead to some impulsive decisions. Decisions like he and Steve getting matching tattoos. To be fair though, they were pretty awesome tattoos.

 _After hours of tattooing, they were finally done. And they loved it. On Tony and Steve's right shoulders were the tattoos for their kids. They had Peter's Spider-Man logo, Carter's Iron Shield logo, and a sunflower for Ana-Maria. Now, no matter how far they were, they would always have their kids with them. On their chests, over their hearts were a set of special tattoos. Over Tony's heart was Steve's shield and the Avengers A, while on Steve's chest was Tony's arc reactor and a matching A. (Chapter 35)_

Another perk of being retired and having free time was the fact that he could pick and choose what interviews and events he wanted to go to. That allowed him to also drag his friends around with him. And it was the perfect opportunity to have a rematch on an old video he did with Clint.

" _Clinton! Get your butt over here!" shouted Tony one snowy day in February._

" _What is it?!" shouted the retired archer as he came sprinting into the common room where Tony was sitting._

" _So, remember that lip-sync battle we had back in 2013?" Clint nodded. "Care for a rematch? And when I say rematch I mean an official rematch on the show Lip Sync Battle!"_

" _FUCK YES!"_

 _And that was how two weeks later Clint and Tony found themselves in California doing a dress rehearsal in spandex. (Chapter 36)_

And that was how Tony single handily traumatized his kids. Maybe choosing a Justine Timberlake song wasn't the best idea. Well, at least Steve enjoyed it.

Not too long after that, Peter and MJ got married. Weddings were always cause for celebration at the compound. Tony still couldn't believe how grown up his kids were now.

 _MJ and Shuri went a little bit crazy in planning the wedding. By their wedding date, August 24_ _th_ _, everything was ready to go and it looked insane. It was a small affair. Just the Avengers, their families, Shuri, T'Challa, and MJ's family. It was a beautiful ceremony with the hall decorated in reds and blues with gold accents. Annie, who was now five, was their flower girl. She looked so cute in her creamy blue dress and braided blonde hair. Carter, who had just turned 11 the month before, was the ring bearer. Ned was Peter's best man while Shuri was MJ's. Everyone cried at some point, especially Tony, Steve, and MJ's father._

 _The reception was just as big of a party as expected. There was good music, dancing, and plenty of games for the younger kids. Tony took the time to pass on some helpful words of advice to his son who just gave him a hug in response and told him not to worry._

" _Pete, you're my kid. I'm always going to worry about you." (Chapter 37)_

And so, time passed. Life continued on. The kids grew up and found their own path in life. And, well, Tony and Steve aged.

" _I do have some news to share with you before you go running off to your lab to make plans." Smiled Steve and Tony just knew it had to be good._

" _And what news would that be stud."_

" _I found a few gray hairs this morning, Tony. I'm ageing! With you having a younger body we can finally grow old together!" smiled Steve and Tony pulled him close into a crushing hug. With Tony and Steve's bodies being around the same age physically coupled with Steve actually ageing like a normal person, it was a dream come true. They would get to grow old together. They had all there years in front of them that they would get to see together. It was always together. (Chapter 38)_

A few years after that, Steve stepped down from being Captain America. He'd done enough for the world and wanted to focus on his art and his family. The shield was passed on to Carter who became an Avenger alongside his brother. The original Avengers stepped down and were enjoying life. It was nice, being able to relax.

But, being able to look back on everything that had happened in his life gave Tony some perspective. Things had started out all pure and exciting. He had hope and ambition. He had a mind made for creating the future. Then came the mistakes and compromises. He let Stane run the company and that lead to his weapons being sold under the table to terrorists. He was complacent due to conditioning. Well, as a famous man once said, "we create our own demons." But life got better. He met Steve, had a few amazing kids. He had a family. Life had turned out well all things considering. But, part of the journey is the end.

And in Tony's opinion, it had been a good journey. Despite all the abuse growing up, despite the assault by Tiberius Stone, despite almost dying more than once, despite being kidnapped and tortured, despite everything, Tony had had a good journey.

"Whatcha thinkin' bout there Tony?" asked Steve as he turned over and pulled Tony towards his chest.

"Just how life turned out." Sighed Tony. Steve smiled back at him and gave him a kiss.

"Any regrets?"

"A few, it wouldn't be life without them. But I'd never regret you or the kids. You guys are the best thing that's ever happened to me." Steve smiled again and kissed Tony with as much passion as he could muster. They only pulled apart when Clint shouted at them to "get a room!".

"I love you so much, Anthony."

"I love you too Steven."

Because no matter what happened, they always remembered that they loved one another.

* * *

Well hello, my dear friends. That's it. That's the story. I really hope you liked it. I'll save you all the smoopiness for now. There is just one more little epilogue chapter after this one that will have my super sappy endnote. I'll spare you for now until you read it. It's going up like 20 mins after this goes up.

So, let's talk about that ending. I hope you all caught the IM3 quotes and the one big Endgame quote from the trailer. It just felt fitting. Also, this is our happy ending because Endgame sure as hell isn't giving us one. So, might as well give us what we all want to keep us sated until all hell breaks loose. We all deserve a little bit of happiness.

On another note, I'm going to see Captain Marvel tomorrow and I'm so fucking excited. No spoilers in the comments, please. I hope the movie given us a little insight into Endgame. On that note, I hope all your favourite make it out ok in that movie. The world needs more good things.

Don't forget. There's one more chapter after this one, so I'll see you there! -Shadows.


	41. Get a load of this shit!

Well hello there. I see you've made it to the end of my story. Good job. If you did it all in one sitting please go eat something, drink something, and take a nap.

So, you may be wondering, "WTF is this? The story is over!" Well, let me get to it! This thing here is my planning document, posted in its entirety. I feel like if you've made it this far you deserve a little look into all the insanity that went into this 200,000-word piece of hell. So, here it is. Complete with all my little footnotes, weird jokes, and so many things out of context. Enjoy!

More Than He Seems

1) Picks up at end of IM2, pepper is a good bro, makes the machine, reads lots of medical journals, baby proofing and building of Stark Tower ( **Under his skin)**

2) Avengers Assemble for the first time, "cradle to grave protocol" Steve has to help Tony put in a new reactor **(The cradle to grave protocol)**

3) Carter Anthony Stark is born July 1st, 2012 and Tony sends out a group text telling his friends and the team, queue various team reactions, Clint tells about secret family **(Hi baby, I'm your dad!)**

4) Steve comes to visit with cute baby stuff, stays 2 weeks, arc reactor pain **(a long day's night)**

5) Avengers tower becomes a thing and Bruce moves in, CAWS happens, Steve is not happy, He tells Tony the truth about his parents' death, Bruce ends up having to baby sit while they sort this out, Tony talks about Howards A+ parenting and Steve sees scars **(I'm fine I swear)**

6) Clint and Natasha move in part time as well as Thor, cute baby fluff, Tony's new element get recognized and on the periodic table, lots of press conferences, and a Nobel prize nomination. Tony talks about his life before as well as all the shit that happened in IM1 and that before the baby was born he got diagnosed with anxiety and PTSD, Steve shares his worries and the stuff that happened during the war **(we share an iron heart)**

7) (Start with Nobel stuff) Christmas with just Steve, Tony, and baby (hint at crushes) **(Merry Christmas)**

8) Time skip, Carter is now 1, first word is Dada, more baby fluff **(We go marching on)**

9) More baby fluff, mission to stop some evil thing (figure out later) Stony kiss after battle and first steps **(Stronger with you)** (mention eyes) (coconut and metal kiss)

10) Carter is now walking, more baby fluff. Sharing of personal information (the rape incident) **(Break the Silence)**

11) Time skip, Carter is 1 year 8 months and showing signs of being just as smart as Tony, Carter calls all the Avengers + Happy, Pepper, and Rhodey his aunts and uncles, except Steve, he calls him Papa Steve, Stony is surprised. Steve gives Tony his dog tags. **(Family is more than blood)**

12) Hydra fights and such. They deal with that glowing blue thing from guardians 2. Carter turns 2. Thor dark world happens. Team play truth or dare, Steve had to tell the team about the rape incident because tony has a meltdown. Thor gifts Tony with a special dagger from Asgaurd that shows his strengths as a warrior and a survivor. **(I trust you)**

13) Thor baby sits, Carter is fast and squirmy and breaks his arm, he has Steve paint the cast to look like Iron Mans arm. Carter is 2.5 **(Accidents happen)**

14) Carter turns 3 and soon after AOU with minor changes, Tony sees Carter get hurt in his Wanda vision and Steve has to help calm him down on the plane, The Avengers knew of Ultron but were not expecting this to happen, Carter lifts the hammer during the hammer scene, Carter is at Clint's farm and such, movie ends as normal with ALL the avengers leaving the tower for the new compound, mention nightmares and clairvoyance due to Thanos and the mind stone **(I won't lose you)**

15) Parenting woes and toddler troubles. Thor tries to bless Steve and Tony with fertility to have another child (BONE!) Tony gets an ESA dog to help with his trauma, a German Shepard named Curie. Steve and Tony celebrate when gay marriage is legalized in the US! **(We're in this together now)**

16) All parties smell something fishy with the accords and investigate and find out that Ross was a hydra agent and they take him down in berlin and find Bucky, Tony finds and enlists Peter to help and becomes a mentor to him, they get Bucky into a rehabilitation program with the Avengers. Tony has nerve damage in his arm due to trauma, a broken arm, three broken ribs, and a punctured lung due to the final fight with the very much alive winter soldiers. He's in a coma for 5 days. **(Crash and burn)**

17) BP happens. Tony makes Peter his personal intern and he gets to spend lots of time at the compound during the summer. Tony gets invited to Wakanda and brings Peter with him so that he can learn stuff too. Shuri and Peter become best friends and Tony and T'Challa regret everything. **(Wakanda nonsense is this?)**

18) SMHC happens as normal but Toomes kills May, Tony jumps in and helps Peter and he adopts him, Steve helps a lot too, Bucky gets a cat names Mr. Bigglesworth because someone (Tony) made him watch Austin Powers. **(I'll keep you safe)**

19) Interviews, family bonding, Peter gets used to living fulltime at the compound, movie night, Peter invited Ned and MJ and Shuri over, embarrassing parents Steve and Tony. Tony helps Peter build his first AI robot (Pixel) Tony takes Steve to go see Hamilton. Peter calls Tony dad for the first time. Trump loses the election and the world is a better place. **(One of Us!)**

20) Carter gets kidnapped by some rouge Hydra agents and injected with stuff, they get him back but Tony gets caught. **(Give him back!)**

21) Tony gets tortured and Stone tried to rape him again, but they find him, when he wakes up in the compound infirmary he is super happy to see his kids. Steve helps him get better mentally after all that went down. They discover that Carter now has to wear hearing aids because of HYDRA assholes **(The dark. The sun. The stars.)**

22) They discover that Carter now has powers (telekinesis but its gold instead of red like Wanda's (Carter now demands to be called "The Iron Shield) **(The Iron Shield)**

23) Steve proposes to Tony by the lake in early April. They both cry. The ring is made of vibranium taken from Steve's shield. **(Will you have me?)**

24) Back to school and lunch funny stuff, Carter has to make a family tree also in grade 2 and kids make fun of his hearing aid. (skipped grades) (somehow work in the buck naked stark nude joke, because the avengers do one of those buzzfeed thirst tweet videos). **(You are my sunshine)**

25) Stony wedding! **(You are my everything)** October 8th, Steve wears his old military uniform, Tony wears a black suit with a tan vest to match. Peter and Carter walk with Tony down the aisle. Steve takes Tony's last name.

Rings are a gold-titanium alloy with Yinsinium stripes (element tony made) there is crying

Speeches, and laughs (no matter what happens remember I love you in the vows)

First dance song; Everywhere I go- Sleeping at Last cover

26) Steve volunteers to teach Peter's history class about what it was like in WW2. Carter is board at school because it's too easy, so Tony gives him extra work and extremely supervised lab time. (you're an idiot. Yes, but I'm your idiot…forever.) **(Tell us a story)**

27) Tony has horrible nightmares about alien attacks and the end of the world. He becomes very sick and makes the Bleeding Edge armor with the vibranium Shuri gave him back in chapter 17. Steve gets increasingly worried and tries his best to help. Mention that it feels like there's something horrible coming and like someone evil keeps speaking in his head. (you're not the only one burdened with knowledge) **(The calm before the storm)**

28) don't put authors note at all! Use multiple points of view. Tony is out with Steve on a date when Strange opens the portal and they meet Bruce. (talk of maybe having another kid) The big floaty ring ship shows up again and Peter and Tony end up on Titan as before. The soul stone ends up being part of Tony (because the red skull thing was stupid) (make no shit sherlock joke, and facial hair bros joke) April 26, 2018, the day the world ended (Dad, I don't feel so good… end on cliff hanger) **(To Infinity…)**

29) Thanos failed to get the soul stone, Gamora is alive. She meets up with Nebula and the gang on Titan. Thor gets the team there via the Bifrost and the final battle takes place. Tony and Steve force Peter home. Bucky still does that thing where he picked up Rocket and spun in a circle shooting shit. Thanos kills Vision to get the mind stone. Nebula and Gamora deal the final blow. Vision, Rocket, Drax, Wanda, Sam, Nebula, and Strange die in the conflict. **(…And Beyond)**

30) The immediate aftermath of the battle. Everyone is a crying mess. Tony gets his hands on the gauntlet and with his soul stone. He uses it to help fix some of the damage to Earth and the other worlds affected before having the different Stones and Gauntlet thrown into black holes and neutron stars. Because the gauntlet has too much power it destroys Tony's left arm and he has to preplace it with a prosthetic one. The gauntlet (time stone) also deages his molecules to look like he's in his 20's again but still has all his memories. They travel to Wakanda before they obliterate the stones to do this. While they are doing this on one of the planets they find a little baby girl who looks like Gamora but it's baby blue with her hair being a soft golden blonde. Steve and Tony take her home with them because she was orphaned by Thanos. **(Turn it to ash)**

31) All the survivors return to the compound to rest and recover before all the funerals. Tony and Steve are just happy to be back with their kids. It is very emotional. The Avengers and remaining guardians begin to heal. Tony makes up some documents to present to the government so that they can keep the baby they found. They get to keep her and name her Ana-Maria Sarah Stark. Valkyrie and Korg make it to Earth with 10 Asgardian children. The Avengers help out and the UN grants them some land to make a new home close to the compound. **(We go on)**

32) Peter graduates High School. His family are super proud and there are lots of feelings. Peter gets accepted to MIT and Tony puts together a celebration. Steve turns 100. **(Oh the places you will go)**

 **33)** The Avengers and Guardians win the Nobel Peace Prize for eventually stopping the end of the universe. Something about 20Gayteen **(Thank You!)**

34) One year later. Tony officially retires Iron Man except for end of the world problems. Peter is enjoying MIT, Carter starts taking martial arts, Ana-Maria is a cute baby. (2019 Tony is 45) **(Just a man in a can)**

 **35)** Tony gets some tattoos. One for each of his kids. (the Spiderman logo for Peter, Carter's Iron Shield logo that he drew, and a sunflower for Ana-Maria.) He also gets Steve's shield on his chest near the reactor over his heart. Steve gets Tony's reactor and the same ones for the kids. **(Of course I'm a dad! Have you met me?)**

 **36)** Tony and Steve go to career day at Carter's school. Carter is officially the coolest kid in school! Tony and Clint recreate their infamous lip-sync battle on the actual show. **(Coolest kid in town)**

37) Peter and MJ get married (2023) **(Wedding bells are ringing!)**

38) Carter heads off to MIT at age 16, Ana-Maria gets into competitive dance. Peter helps run RnD at SI and is a full-on Avenger. Obligatory beach episode. (2028) **(All grown up)**

 **39)** Steve finally retires as Captain America at 47 (114) (year is 2032) the Young Avengers begin to take over (Peter, Carter, Cassie, Some of the Asgardians, Lila Barton) **(The end of an era)**

40) It's wrap up time. Tony and Steve watch their grown kids and grandkids, (Benjamin (P), Millie (P), Sammy (P), and Edwin (C)) play in the compounds yard. They watch the new Avengers train and Tony thinks back on everything in flashbacks. (Get dialog from each chapter for this as well as behind the scenes stuff) Tony smiles as he and the old team can enjoy their old age. All is well. (2040, Tony is 66 but looks 45) **(More Than He Seems)**

41) POST THIS WHOLE DOCUMENT TO SHOW THE FANS MY INSANE THOUGHT PROSCESS! ( **Get A Load Of This Shit!)**

Tropes to address- 1) Cap boob grab 8

2) Cap the human Dorito (you taste delicious) 8

3)Avengers movie night and CAH night

4) Never have I ever and Truth or Dare

5) Pepper's heals mean doom

6) fondue 10 and pr6

7) rouge Dorito man

8) Team Nobel peace prize after infinity war

9) stark naked and buck nude

10) Tony Can't have lactose

11) let Bucky have a plum 2k16

12) INHAILER!

13) playing soccer with the kids.

Social media handles

Group Instagram, twitter, vine- avenger_official

Tony's- tstark

Steve's- captain_america_official

Bruce-banner69

Clint- hawkeye

Natasha- romanov1

Thor- thorgodofthunder

 **Spinoff chapters! / stories! All of these are up and ready to read! Just click on my profile! All of there are part of the main story but with their own unique situations/scenarios that called for their own little fic!**

7-2) Tony at the noble awards. He brings Bruce and he tries really hard not to cry when he wins. He video calls everyone after the awards and Rhodey and Steve are so proud of him. **(A Nobel Accomplishment)**

9-2) post chapter 9 sex! **(Stronger with you NSFW scene)**

On-going) Various vine and Instagram shenanigans **(The Avengers need better PR than this!)**

1) Smack cam. Everyone gangs up on Clint because they saw Nat do it to him first **(Smack Cam!)**

2) What Avengers training really looks like (pool noodle fights), "To all the haters out there" *Steve and Tony kiss*. Some people think it's a publicity stunt, some think their dating, and some think it's to help LGBT rights. The internet and media have a field day. Thor makes a video about Asgardian food and customs. It's super cute. **(Home is a crazy place)**

3) Tony and Bruce make a Rube Goldberg machine that ends in an explosion. It goes viral. **(For the sake of science!)**

4) Clint makes a Tumblr chronicling the crazy that is their lives with the worst possible titles for things. **(Rouge Dorito man)**

5) A lip sync battle between Tony and Clint goes viral. Chaos happens, and the internet loses its shit. **(I wanna be Beyoncé!)**

6) The team have a twitter war over who can give the best compliment to another Avenger. Steve and Tony use this a time to shamelessly flirt with each other. The world still has questions about their little kissing stunt and Steve and Tony publicly out their relationship. **(Little do you know)**

7) The team have a contest over who can post the most unflattering picture of the other Avengers on their Instagram. They try to combat all the thirst comments ( **Picture (not) perfect)**

8) Thor loses a bet and must let Natasha make a hair and makeup tutorial using his face and hair and posts it on YouTube. **(Never try to out drink a Russian)**

9) The team open fan mail! They get so many letters from kids and it's super cute. **(You've got mail!)**

10) What really happened in Budapest. There was no mission. Clint can't read Hungarian and got lost. They get kidnaped by the local mob, blow up an underground bunker, and stop an illegal arms deal. They emerge with 2 gunshot wounds, a broken arm, 10 bottles of very expensive wine, and a kilo of meth. **(What REALLY happened in Budapest)**

12-13) The team play Jenga (Clint can't use his arrows to cheat), Monopoly (Tony and Nat cheat), CAH (poor Steve. Thor makes the dirtiest jokes) **(This is why we can't have nice things!)**

18-2) Kinky clean-shaven sex! **(Clean Shaven)**

24) Peter takes a field trip to SI. The Avengers are overprotective and embarrass the fuck out of him, especially Tony and Steve. Bucky is a shadow keeping a close eye on everything. Flash is a problem, but the Avengers quickly fix that. **(Permission slips please)**

25) Honeymoon sex! **(After "I Do")**

26) Clint and Peter are left to baby sit all the kids one weekend while all the others are doing stuff. Calamity ensues. **(I am a responsible adult!)**

32) birthday porn! **(Sweet on you)**

Potatoes fell out in droves No matter what happens, I love you.

Songs used for each chapter- Here's the URL to the playlist! www. / playlist?list= PLY-Mirc3qL xNy5G3A0v CFCV2hVs7mSyZN (just remove the spaces and put into a browser)

Fear by Sleeping at Last

Breathe by Of Verona

Child by Todd Baker

Shy by Jai Waetford

Je Suis Malade par Laura Fabian

Super Friends from Holy Musical B Man!

Progressive Christmas Carols by PAINT

Five by Sleeping at Last

Love Don't Die by The Fray

Break the Silence by François Mulder

Work Song by Hozier

Lake Shore Drive by Aliotta Haynes Jeremiah

People help the People by Birdy

King of the Clouds by P!ATD

To build a Home by The Cinematic Orchestra

Frost by Racheal Sage

Pray for Me by Kendrick Lamar and The Weekend

Kids by MGMT

Non-Stop from Hamilton

Lazarus by David Bowie

Find you by Stan Walker

Kids by Take That

Not Alone from AVPM

Goin' back to Hogwarts from AVPM

Everywhere I go by Sleeping at Last

PTSD by Lucas King

Medicine by Daughter

This bitter Earth by Dianna Washington (also show the dance)/ Don't fear the reaper by Blue Oyster Cult

Gallows by Katie Garfield

Shelter by Birdy

Sedated by Hozier

Nothing's gonna hurt you baby by Cigarettes after Sex

Sun by Sleeping at Last

I was here by Beyoncé

Home Again by Alexx Calise

When it don't come easy by Sleeping at Last

Woodwork by Sleeping at Last

Jackie and Wilson by Hozier

A Thousand Years by Christine Perri

Man Like Me by Robert Downey Jr.

One last thing before I close the book on this story. I just want to say thank you to all you for reading. Thank you for all the comments that pushed me to keep writing. Thank you for supporting my story by leaving kudos and likes. Just… Thank you.

When I first started writing MTHS, I never thought that it would ever get this big. When I wrote that first chapter, I thought that maybe a handful of people would ever read it because the beginning was so weird. Those were back in the days where I thought that a 5000-word chapter was long. Oh, how wrong I was. Just look at chapter 28. Almost 33000 words! And you guys stayed with it!

So, I hope you give the other works in this story a read if you haven't already. All of them are already posted and ready to read. I hope you like them. In some other news, I do have another project in the works as well as a few Marvel one-shots I want to do. My other big Marvel fic "The Princes Love" is also up to read if you want. It's Tony/Thor.

Also, I would like to announce the title for my next big fic. It's called "What I wouldn't give to see you smile". It's another Marvel fic and is likely to be a long one. Keep an eye out for it. Follow my Tumblr, lupinthealchemist, for updates on my writing or if you just want to chat. I'm lonely so I'm always down to make new friends.

So, with all that said and done, Thank you all so much for reading my fic. For sharing in my tears and 2 am editing blunders. Thank you, and remember, "No matter what happens, remember I love you." -Shadows.


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